Page 22 of The Shadowbound King

I drew a deep breath. “I’m your bodyguard, Andrin. I listen.”

His expression darkened. “You’re also my chief advisor, and if you’ll recall, that title comes beforebodyguard. I depend on you to give me good counsel.”

“Even when you refuse to hear it?” I asked.

He snarled as he stepped toward me, his teeth white in his beard. “Not when the Edelfen whispers it.”

I stood my ground. “Iwhispered it. I told you we needed Mirella. She’s our best chance to restore Autumn, and you refused to even consider my plan.”

“So you went behind my back. You disobeyed a direct order.”

“Yes,” I snapped, old frustrations rising. “I couldn’t make my king see reason, so I sought another one.” Andrin’s eyes widened, but I plowed on before he could interrupt me. “I went to the Winter Court and told Sigurn Brighthelm what the Edelfen told me. Mirella was locked in light and unable to travel. Brighthelm is elfkin. I assumed he’d work to free her. And I was right.”

Fury vibrated around Andrin, the weight of his anger practically warping the air. When he finally spoke, his voice was deadly low. “What you did is treason under our laws. The punishment is?—”

“Death,” I said. Moving swiftly, I pulled Mirella’s knife from my pocket and extended it hilt-first. “Go ahead, Your Majesty. Take my life.”

Nostrils flaring, he snatched the blade from my hand. For one trembling moment, he looked like he might actually follow through with his threat. Then he flung the knife away and yanked me against him, one hand gripping my nape.

“Damn you, Rane,” he whispered, sounding miserable. His throat bobbed, and his breath gusted over my lips. Strands of my hair caught in his beard, the black a stark contrast to the red.

He was close enough to kiss. Close enough for me to see the tiny streaks of gold in his blue eyes the same shade as the sky above the Embervale.

He released my nape but didn’t step away. His broad chest brushed mine as he sighed. The storm had passed. Andrin was still angry, but he was listening.

“You are not your father,” I said. “And you can’t compare your reign to his. Larinor didn’t face your challenges. Theshadows grow stronger…and they’re getting closer. Andrin, we don’t have much time left.”

“I know,” he rasped. He shifted his gaze to the Edeloak. “I feel it.”

I cupped his cheek, drawing his attention back to me. The short, bright hairs of his beard were so soft against my palm, I couldn’t help stroking them. “Walto Lornlark wanted power so badly, he was willing to lie and steal to get it. But he’s mortal. He can’t cling to power forever. He’ll want to continue his line. The only way he can do that is through his daughter. He’ll demand her return. When he does, we’ll force a meeting. And that will give us access to Purecliff.”

“And if he doesn’t want her back?” Andrin asked gruffly.

The question was unnecessary. Because Andrin already knew my answer. It was the reason he’d forbidden me to seek Mirella.

But everything was in the open now. I wouldn’t lie to him again.

“Then we use her as a bridge,” I said. “If Walto won’t come to us, I’ll go to him.”

As they had the first time I shared my plan, objections gathered in Andrin’s eyes. “And shed your magic the moment you cross the Covenant.” He shook his head, dislodging my hand. “It’s too dangerous.”

“No more dangerous than what I do now. And I can’t do it forever, Andrin.” Images of the courtyard lined with courtiers and castle folk filled my head. Only a handful were strong enough to withstand the Edelfen. “None of us can,” I finished.

Andrin’s jaw clenched, the look in his eyes flickering between anger and worry. After a moment, he let his shoulders sag. “I hate this. It should be me.”

“That’s not an option,” I said, stating the obvious. “And even if it were, I wouldn’t allow it.”

Andrin raised his eyebrows, his expression mirroring Othor’s from moments earlier. “You don’t allow or disallow me anything,l’esku.”

I sucked in a breath. He’d called me “my love.” The endearment didn’t bother me in the slightest. The delivery was the problem.

“You know better than to use the Old Language,” I said. “The shadows listen.” The tongue of our ancestors predated the Covenant. Some claimed it predated humans. Every word dripped with magic. Once spoken, even a simple sentence could twist and warp in unforeseeable ways. It was undesirable in the best of times. But Autumn had been steeped in the worst of all possible times for decades.

Andrin’s features were grim as he brushed hair back from my cheek. “Now you know how it feels when someone you love does something stupid.”

Heat snaked through me. Andrin still hated my plan, but he was smart. He knew I’d given him a tactical gift. Now that he had it, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

“I’m not sure I’ve learned my lesson,” I murmured.

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