Page 38 of Wings of Death

Oh no, I’ve upset him. I shouldn’t have said anything. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you?—”

“You didn’t,” he assures me. “I’m just sick of her spreading rumours about the two of us. It’s inappropriate.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Well, Hethenos seems to think that it’s true.”

He digs his fingers into his head and lets out a frustrated grunt. “That woman will be the death of me.”

I can’t help but laugh, and he glares at me. I raise my hands up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. But they’re both… I think you know.”

He sighs, walking back to the bed, and sits down. “I do.”

Feeling like a change of subject is in order, there’s something I haven’t yet asked him about. Something very important.“Amaros, do you know much about that gateway in the Dark Forest?”

“I do. It’s powerful, and very dangerous. For decades, we have protected its existence using powerful magic. We sealed it, preventing anyone from entering through it. It also prevented anyone from exiting through it. Someone appears to have broken the seal. That must be how the watchers got into the Kingdom the last time.”

He goes quiet then, likely remembering the last watcher attack. We need to do something about it before it gets any further out of hand. He knows Zalore. I wonder if he can meet with him to understand the reason for the attacks.

Surprising me, he reaches out and touches my cheek. It still feels tender from where Astelle slapped me.

“Did she do this?” he asks, his expression torn between anger and sadness.

I bite my lip. “If byshe, you mean Astelle, then yes,” I say. “How did you know?”

He drops his hand. “I spoke with Mikel, and he told me what happened.”

“Amaros, can you be honest with me? Is there something between the two of you?”

His expression changes, as if he’s toying with an internal battle, before he looks at me. “After I heard what she did to you, I ended it.”

Wow. Not what I was expecting.

“It’s not what you think. It was never anything serious. You know what she’s like. She’s very…persuasive.”

I adjust the covers, pulling them up higher. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself. I appreciate the honesty though. Her actions make sense now.”

He stares intently into my eyes. “She means nothing to me, okay? There’s someone else I care for.”

With the way he’s looking at me, I can guess who he’s talking about, but I don’t want to make things any more awkward than they already are. There can never be anything between us. I just don’t think of Amaros in that way, not to mention he’s been with my sister. That’s just…gross.

“I was so worried about you. I thought we almost lost you… If Zalore had taken you back to Galespo, only war would have brought you back. He is a very powerful male, a powerful angel. They don’t have many females there, so often the watchers will steal females from the other Kingdoms, even from Earth, to be their mates.”

My stomach turns at the thought of being forced to be someone’s mate, and I feel for all the females who are in that position. One day, if I ever rule over this Kingdom, I will set them free.

Amaros reaches out and strokes my cheek, then takes a lock of my hair and tucks it behind my ear. “I will never allow that to happen to you.”

“Thank you. I think that was Zalore’s intention. To bring me back to Galespo. He said I would make a good Queen.”

He glances at my ring and frowns. “You will, here in Silanthia,” he says, reaching out to touch my ring.

I move my hand back, remembering how it harmed Zalore when he touched it.

“Where did you get that?” he asks.

I twirl the ring around my finger. It’s so beautiful, although I can tell there is much to learn about it.

“It was my mother’s,” I say, half answering his question. “Did you ever see her wearing it?”

He abruptly stands. “I should probably go, leave you to it. You seem to have improved a lot since waking up.” He heads toward the door.

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