Page 67 of Glow of the Everflame

A low noise rumbled from his throat.

“I thought my not inheriting the Crown would finally put her off me for good,” he muttered.

“Maybe she thinks you’ll get another shot. She didn’t seem to have much confidence in me.”

“Then she’s even more foolish than I thought.”

I looked up at him. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Well, she seems like a real peach,” I drawled. “You obviously have flawless taste.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His voice dropped to a hush. “Last I saw him, your betrothed was stomping around calling himself King. I could see the plans already forming in his head.”

“I’ve known Henri since I was a child,” I said defensively. “I trust him. And may I remind you, he proposed when I was just a plain mortal girl.”

Luther halted, whipping around to face me. “You were never just a plain mortal girl,” he snapped, his temper cracking. “And may I remindyou, you weren’t sure he would still want you.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but he leaned closer and continued, his voice frosty.

“A Descended mate isforever. We do not give our heart away unless we are certain, beyond all doubt, that the person we choose will stand by our side no matter what fate the Kindred have in store for us, in this life and all that comes after.” Shards of his magic clashed in his gaze. “I will not presume to tell you who to choose, I can only hope that you have friends, as I did, who care about you enough to tell you when you’re being a blind fool.”

The sound of approaching voices wafted nearby. Luther’s focus flicked toward them, then he took my hand and tugged me back into step.

I let his words sink in as we walked, despising how disloyal they made me feel, the buried doubts they lured to the surface. Back in Mortal City, I didn’t have many friends. My strange eyes, rough edges, and tendency to break rules made me too much of a liability to keep around for very long.

“Is Eleanor trustworthy?” I asked.

“She’s your sole advisor, and you’re asking me if you can trust her?” he asked dryly.

“Don’t be jealous,Lu,” I said, earning a glare in response. “Answer the question. Could I tell her about Henri?”

“Yes. She is loyal to you.” He grunted irritably. “She’s stopped talking to me entirely because she thinks you don’t trust me.”

I beamed. “Really?”

“You could try to look a little less pleased with yourself every time you turn a new member of my family against me. Sorae used to adore me. Now when I use the front entrance, she tries to take a bite out of my arm.”

I burst out laughing. Luther watched me, and despite himself, his sour mood eased at the sound, though as my thoughts returned to Henri, my spirits came tumbling back down.

“Will Eleanor care that he’s mortal?”

“Every soul in the realm will care that he’s mortal.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. “And you... if you were my friend and nothing more, what would you tell me?”

His answer came without missing a beat. “That if a man made you doubt whether his love for you would surviveanything, he does not deserve you.”

He dropped my hand and stopped abruptly at an open door, where Remis was already seated at a long table.

“Father,” Luther said curtly.

Remis ignored his son as he rose and bowed his head low. “Your Majesty.”

“Regent,” I said, walking in. Luther came around to pull out an elaborately carved wooden chair at the head of the table, gesturing for me to sit.

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