Page 63 of A Kiss of Flame

Barith tensed at her words, and the queen glared at Levian as if she were no more than a bug needing to be squashed. “Get her off my island,” she demanded before leaving. “An' I expect ye at dinner taenight to finalize the matin' contract wi' Sera Ceanadach.”

Eithne didn’t bother to wait for a reply before storming out. The air hung heavy for a long while after she left. Levian gingerly touched Barith’s shoulder, and he recoiled slightly from her touch. Her heart cracked at his reaction, but soon he relaxed.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, hanging his head.

Levian swallowed her emotions. “It’s okay. I assumed she wouldn’t be happy I was here.”

“Aye, but still,” Cat grumbled, moving to close the door. “That was harsh, even for mum.”

Cat looked at them for a moment, and Levian tried to give her a signal by tilting her head, but the dragon didn’t quite catch it right away. When Levian mouthed the word “alone,” Cat cleared her throat. “Aye. I’ll go an’ fetch Ismay, then,” she said, opening the door again. “Tae come help change yer bandage.”

Once they were alone, Barith let out a heavy, stuttered breath, and Levian continued to stroke his arm. She wanted to take away his pain, even if she knew it was impossible. Her heart ached seeing him so upset. She loved him so much, but she knew there was no way she could fix this for him. Barith had never shared why he’d left the horde to travel the world, but Levian hadn’t thought much of it. She’d met several dragons who had done exactly the same over the years, though Barith had been away for a very long time. Now, she was beginning to better understand why he’d stayed away so long.

“I can fix this,” Barith assured her, though his confidence seemed shaken as if he were trying to convince himself more than anyone.

Her heart gave a heavy throb, and Levian rallied her nerves. “There’s nothing to fix,” she told him, her tears lingering just beneath the surface. “Your mother was horrid, but she isn’t wrong, Barith.”

He turned to her sharply, his expression harsh. “Ye think I should mate with Sera Ceanadach?” he hissed.

Levian let out a heavy sigh, trying to find the right words. “Maybe,” she admitted. Barith scoffed bitterly, moving away from her, and Levian’s heart cracked. “Even if you don’t, Barith, you can’t run away from this—your family. It would destroy you to turn your back on them. I know it, and so do you.”

Barith growled in anger and frustration, pacing the room. “So what?” he spat. “That’s it? Ye’re just gonna leave again?”

Levian shook her head. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay with him, but that didn’t mean she should. “I have to go to Council,” she told him. “I have to tell them what happened with Vane as soon as possible, and I still have to find the thieves. None of that has changed.”

He turned and looked down at her, his expression grim. “Will ye come back?” he asked, his voice flat, but the hollowness in hiseyes told her he already knew the answer. If she said yes, she’d only be lying, so she said nothing.

The words of love lodged in Levian’s throat as she became overcome. He’d told her last night he’d wanted a chance to love her and that he didn’t care about his mating, but that was then, and this was now. Barith could make no promises because the truth was he was still to be mated to someone else, and Levian wasn’t convinced at the end of the day, his sense of duty and honor wouldn’t win out. She wasn’t convinced it shouldn’t.

Barith closed the space between them, searching her eyes. He cursed and leaned down to kiss her roughly. “I love you, Levian,” he told her again as he pressed his head to hers. “I will always bloody love you, but—” The way his words broke off tore her heart apart. “I cannae fight for this on my own,” he finished, pulling away.

Tears streamed down her face, but Barith didn’t wipe them away this time, nor did he try to soothe or reassure her. He looked at her with such sorrow it stole her breath. “Cat can get ye off the island,” he said, his voice hollow. “I left Beatrice at Ember Hall. She’s years now—you won her fair.”

As he turned to leave, Levian had to force herself not to sob. Barith looked back at her as he opened the door. “Maybe I am too much like my bloody da,” he said, his voice gravelly with emotion. “Goodbye, Vi.”

The moment Barith was gone and the door shut behind him, Levian let out the sob she’d been holding. Pain radiated through her entire body as she fought against the surge of grief that slammed into her like a tidal wave. She wanted to chase him, to beg him to stay. She didn’t.

Levian loved Barith, but she knew in her bones that the only way to truly love him was to let him go. It tore her apart to think of her life without him, but she couldn’t have lived with herself if he’d abandoned his horde, his family, for her. She couldn’t bearhis eventual regret. Even if she knew her heart would never be the same without him. Even if it would never be whole again.

Chapter Twenty

Levian squeezed the bridge of her nose as she stood before the council members gathered at the Wizen Council of Mage’s home office. The ancient building was perched on an enchanted mound of rock amongst the Balearic Isles off the coast of Mallorca, Spain. It was a beautiful spot—a shame, given the odious Folk who now ran their affairs there. Levian herself now being one of them.

“Do you care to explain in more detail?” Mage Tatiana pressed haughtily.

Levian glanced up at the three sour faces glaring back at her. Only four of the seven council members had come to hear her. She had already answered an exhausting number of ridiculous questions regarding her ongoing investigation into her thieves, the Black Masks. Her father’s shadow loomed large over her as it always did when she stood before them. She knew the Council would always see Merlin's mistakes when they looked at her, but she had hoped that her work as an Ambassador over the past year had earned her some respect. Clearly, she’d been wrong.

This was precisely why she hadn’t told them about the thieves sooner.

Mages Tatiana van der Linde, Fujioka Aki, and William Bradford appeared no more than middle-aged, but their permanent scowls aged them several mortal decades. On the other hand, Mage Peregrine Cromwell was ancient and looked it, with his wrinkled face, balding head, and long white beard. He had been quietly snoring at the end of the table for at least ten minutes.

Levian took a deep breath, trying to calm her irritation. “Ialreadyexplained,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even. And she had—twice over. She’d told them everything she knew about the black-masked thieves and her near-death at the hands of Vane and his partner, Tsuki.

Mage William cocked a scornful brow, making it clear that her restraint was fooling no one.

Running out of patience, Levian decided to jump to the point. She reached into the pocket of her official drab Council robes, pulled out the Dökk blade, and dropped it onto the table before her.

Mage Tatiana gasped while the two other men grumbled and blustered—Mage Peregrine continued his nap. Levian then pulled a square of fabric from her pocket and unwrapped it next to the blade. In the middle sat a small black ring she had taken off Vane’s dismembered finger. The ring stolen from King Thurin, it turned out.

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