Page 52 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

Savell rolls his eyes. “I don’t complain.”

Kheldryn laughs and makes her way out of the sitting room with Gryska not too far behind her.

Placing a hand to his stomach, Ronan lets out a belly laugh. Savell lightly punches his shoulder, his frown giving way to a grin. Orim stands and shakes his head, amused.

The three of them follow Kheldryn and Gryska out into the foyer and then disperse to other parts of the manor, no doubt to begin preparations for our journey.

Silence falls around Asheros and I. Orienting himself toward me, his eyes narrow, as if he’s deep in thought. “Why didn’t you tell Viridian the truth?”

His question catches me by surprise, and I’m not quick enough to mask the shock widening my eyes. I make a face at him. “I did tell him the truth.”

He clicks his tongue, making a tsk-tsk-tsk sound. “Not the whole truth, Bladesinger.”

“So what if I didn’t?” I ask, my voice ripe with the sudden need to defend myself. “What is it to you?”

“You could have told him where you were. About what happened to you. My role and that of the others in causing your disappearance. But you didn’t.” He turns to me, crystalline irises bearing into my own, fierce and scorching despite their pale color. “I want to know why.”

“You would have been arrested for treason if I had,” I say, furrowing my brow. “More often than not, the penalty is death.”

“Why should you care if I’m arrested?” He doesn’t move, though it seems as if some unseen force has been drawing our bodies closer. “I thought you couldn’t be bothered to worry about me.”

“You’d be correct in thinking that,” I say, keeping my tone even. “Whether I like it or not, I need your help to find Vorr’s killer. That’s it.”

“That’s not the real reason. You and I both know it,” Asheros says, shaking his head. “You’re perfectly capable of tracking down the murderer on your own. And with a squadron of the High King’s Guard to command, even more so.”

There’s a part of me just beneath the surface that knows the truth but is too afraid to admit it. Both to him and to myself. Some deluded part of me that hopes the longer I deny it, the greater the chance that, maybe, it will fade.

The truth is, I didn’t tell Viridian about Asheros’s involvement in my disappearance because I have feelings for him. Growing feelings I cannot seem to stifle, or ignore, no matter how much I try.

And gods-damn me, I do try.

“Well, I don’t command the Guard anymore,” I say, letting my bitterness get the better of me. “So I’m stuck with you instead.” Placing my hands on my hips, I let out a huff. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

He grins, revealing his white teeth and subtly pointed fae canines, and I can’t help but imagine what it would feel like if he nipped at my skin with those teeth.

It sends a shiver of sudden craving down to my core.

“Not the words I’d imagined, but yes, Bladesinger, it is.” He leans forward, that perfect smile captivating me. “You actually like me.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head, or I’ll dislike you again.”

He laughs, and I notice that he’s looking at me differently. He watches me as if I’m a unique jewel, or a breathtaking mountain view. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

I wonder if maybe, just maybe, he feels the same for me as I do for him.

Something Kheldryn said lingers at the forefront of my mind, reminding me of a possibility that I haven’t dared to let myself consider just yet.

“Have you ever wondered that, maybe in marking you two as fated, the gods weren’t telling you that he’s your enemy, but rather, that you and he would become something so much more?”

For a moment, I let my sense of duty fall to the side, let everything that guides me go silent. If there was nothing external to consider, nothing to take into account other than myself and the way I feel, then maybe, just maybe, I would want Asheros.

Reality sinks into my stomach, bringing me back to earth.

I do have duties and responsibilities and people that are depending on me. I can’t let them fall to the wayside at the whim of my emotions—my feelings—for Asheros, whatever they may be.

Instead of banishing the thought or acknowledging my developing feelings for him, I merely push them to the side. They cannot interfere with my duty, though I may wish for them to.

“What is it?” Asheros asks, taking a step closer to me. He raises his hands as if to take mine in his. “What are you thinking with that beautiful mind of yours?”

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