Page 1 of Clash of Kingdoms

ONE

AURELIAS

When I opened my eyes, it was morning.

Light came through the part in the curtains, not the golden light of Delacroix, but the murky gray kind from the overcast sky. It reminded me of home, so I preferred it over the constant sunshine of Harlow’s home.

I looked at her beside me, the sheets to her shoulder, her naked body tucked underneath and pressed against me. My shoulder was her pillow. Her hand stretched out to my other arm, her hand cupping the bicep. She slept soundly, her breathing like a gentle lullaby.

I pressed a soft kiss to her hairline before I gently rolled her away to hug a pillow instead of me. She was so out of it after our long night that she grabbed on to that right away and continued to sleep without interruption. Her beautiful hair spread out behind her, like my cape in battle.

Duty was the only thing strong enough to get me out of that bed. If I had nowhere else to be, I would wait for her to wake up so I could take her again, so I could feel the fire when our bodies connected.

When I was dressed and armed, I left the bedroom, walked past the guards in the hallway, and then moved up the stairs to the great room, the place where their deliberation and meals took place.

Ivory sat at the table alone, drinking a cup of coffee, wearing a uniform and armor similar to Huntley’s but far less heavy. If she wore something identical to his, she probably wouldn’t be able to stand.

When I approached the table, she didn’t acknowledge me. Emptiness burned in her eyes.

I approached the window and looked out, the landscape cold and dry. Darker clouds were on the horizon and headed this way. It would probably snow sometime today. I could see the trails of smoke coming from all the cottages, everyone trying to stay warm in the chill. I turned back to her, standing behind her so I looked at the back of her head. “Is there anything I can do for you, Your Highness?” It was weird to call anyone that, because I didn’t even refer to my own father that way. I was used to being referred to as such, being revered as one of the deadliest vampires to have ever lived.

She said nothing for a while. “No.”

I looked out the window again for a moment before I approached the table and took a seat on her right. “He’ll return.”

She brought the mug to her lips and took a drink, her eyes still devoid of emotion. “Ever since I met my mother-in-law, she’s been alone. A widow. Taking care of her children even when they had their own children. I never pitied her before, but now I do. To live the rest of your life without your husband to share it with. I don’t think I can bear it…”

“You won’t have to.”

“We survived many wars together, but even with that hardship, I realize I never truly appreciated the peace that came afterward. I took it for granted. I didn’t cherish it nearly as much as I should have.”

My gaze shifted back to the window because looking directly at her felt like an invasion of privacy.

“And now we may never have that again. My husband may never return. And I’ll fail to protect our children and our Kingdoms. And then we’ll all die…or worse.”

“You have my sword,” I said gently. “So you’ll never fail.”

She stared into her coffee.

I could feel her despair. It was potent, stronger than the black coffee she’d just brewed. The dark clouds in the distance now appeared over her head—and she suffocated in the snow that buried her underneath. “We both know that humankind is powerless against these demons.”

Her eyes shifted back to me.

“But you and your husband are exceptional people, and I believe you’ll find a way.”

Her eyes remained on mine, like she could see straight through me.

I never would have fallen in love again if Harlow weren’t the most exceptional woman I’d ever met. And now I knew exactly where she’d gotten the traits that had made me fall headfirst the moment I kissed her. “He’ll return.”

She looked down into her coffee again.

“Let me know how I can be of service to you, Your Highness.”

A gentle smile moved over her lips. “Please don’t call me that. Ivory is fine.”

“Very well,” I said. “How can I be of service to you, Ivory?”

“I’ve moped around since my husband left because his absence is all I can think about. But I know my time is better spent preparing for war. We need to prepare HeartHolme for the influx of citizens about to join us—and we also need to strengthen our fortifications to prepare the field for battle.”

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