Page 108 of Heat of the Everflame

Luther and I bristled in unison.

“No,” he said firmly. “If there is one thing I know of my Queen, it’s that she will never let anyone fight her battles on her behalf.”

There was a ferocious pride in his words, but something else, too. Something bleak and unsettled.

“But,” he continued, “I do not want her to fight them alone. All I ask is that you stand with her, if she needs you.”

Zalaric stroked his chin. “She means a great deal to you.”

“She is my Queen. She is a gift from the Blessed Mother herself. She is...” Luther swallowed and dipped his chin, and he was no longer talking to Zalaric. “I gave myself to her the moment I met her, and I have not regretted it for a second. I have laid my life at her feet, and I would do it again and again, a thousand times over. She has my faith, my loyalty, my vow... I believe in her with everything that I am. There is nothing I would not do to see her fulfill her destiny. No matter the cost.”

My chest burned with a fiery emotion I dared not name.

“If she has such devotion from you, I can’t imagine she’ll ever be fighting alone,” Zalaric said.

Luther was quiet for a long moment. “I would fight for her until the world was ash, if the Kindred allowed it.”

Zalaric studied him, squinting, then finally sighed. “I’ll consider the offer. I’m happy here, but... I’ll think on it.”

“And you’ll tell the others, as well?”

“I will.” He cocked his head. “I presume you didn’t come all this way to deliver a message you could have sent by hawk. Tell me, Prince, what’s the real reason you’re here?”

“I need your help securing passage to Lumnos. Tonight, if possible. But it can’t be just any ship. I need to keep it away from the Centenaries’ notice. I’m traveling with... sensitive cargo.”

“All ships in this port havesensitive cargo. As long as your tariffs are paid, the Centenaries don’t care.”

“They’ll care about this.”

Zalaric sat up, his interest clearly piqued. “And I suppose you don’t wish to share it with me, either?”

“Believe me, it’s better for us both if I don’t.”

“Is this going to get me killed if you’re discovered?”

Again, Luther said nothing.

Zalaric lounged back against his chair and considered. “What you ask is impossible. The Umbros Queen prides herself onknowing everything that happens in her city, and in all the years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen anything slip her notice.”

“Are you saying you cannot help me?”

“No.” His lips curved into a smile. “It’s Umbros. Even the impossible is for sale somewhere.”

They began to discuss the more trivial details of our escape, and I let their voices fade to a hum as I slumped against the wall, my posture sagging.

Luther had made the decision over my head. We would be leaving immediately—without any conversation with the Umbros Queen.

My heart was painfully torn. I wasn’t happy that he’d overruled me with barely a discussion, and the accusations he’d made earlier had cut me deep. If I hadn’t just heard him profess his devotion, I might have begun to suspect his affection for me had changed.

But I had heard it. And more than that—I’dfeltit. Luther’s feelings for me were profound, so strong they were nearly tangible. I saw them in every look, felt them in every touch, their presence filling each room we shared.

I tried to push aside the hurt lodged in my chest and remind myself that he was just worried. He was so used to playing the avenging angel for everyone he loved, guarding their safety in his hands. His self-worth was inextricably tangled in the safety of others, and now, we were all more in danger than we’d ever been.

Once we’re home, he’ll be himself. I repeated it like a mantra, my eyes drooping closed.Once we’re in Lumnos, everything will be okay.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

---