Page 15 of Blood of Two Crowns

Akash almighty, why aren’t we on a fucking warm beach?!

A stone wall crashed into me, forcing awhooshof air from my lungs, as Lathrimos clutched me in arms the size of tree trunks.

At the same moment, darkness drew over us like a hood before being shirked, and we were suddenly unceremoniously flung onto wet sand.

“Fucking hells,”Lathrimos panted.

My hands trembled as I gradually tried to retract fingernails that I’d dug into the flesh of his biceps. “Please… Don’t make me do that again.”

My gaze leapt around our dreamy, tropical surroundings. “I thought you said you couldn’tfold?”

“I can’t. That was all you.”

“I’ve never folded before.”

Lathrimos shrugged like it was nothing out of the ordinary. “Your power will increase exponentially here. This is your home. It boggles my mind you lived your entire life on only a minor percentage of it… How’d you know about this place, anyway?”

My adrenaline was still spiked from flying over those blasted mountains. Before we’d folded, my desire to be on a nice, warm beach had fisted my heart and produced an image in my mind. An image identical to the shore upon which we now stood.

“I don’t. I saw it in my minds eye when I was desperate to get out of the sky.”

Lathrimos frowned, taking in the secluded Kailuma beach surrounding us with palpable longing. “This was—isyour father’s favorite place in all of Avernus.”

Another irksome burning sensation took residence in my eyes that I promptly shoved away. “I wish I’d gotten more time to get to know him.”

Lathirmos’ voice rose barely above a gruff whisper as he stared out at the sea which I noticed had several sets of eyes, some dark, some luminous, peeking above its surface. All monochrome in color. One of which was a fathomless black.

Like Nakoa’s.

My heart gave another painful lurch.

“He’ll be back… At least that’s what I keep telling myself.”

I had to remind myself Lathrimos spoke of my father.

Guilt twisted inside me at the sensation. Malekai and I had just claimed one another.We were betrothed.Iloathedthis bond to Nakoa. And no matter how I tried to resist, deny, and ignore it… I fuckingmissedhim. I ached and yearned for him. There was a gaping hole in my heart that even Malekai couldn’t fill, even if he permeated every other part of me.

Lathrimoswilledaway his boots and took several steps forward, gentle waves sloshing around his bare feet and calves, enormous grey-ish wing tips carving the shallow waves. He was dressed solely in leather armor and some strange type of skirt made of wide strips of the same textile. I’d only seen illustrations of this impractical battle attire in books from Terrenea.

Unable to resist the water for a second more, Iwilledaway my clothing and crashed through the waves, squealing my delight before diving into the water a few feet away from him. When I surfaced, it was to find a smile had taken over his formerly mournful expression. “Just like your father.”

Emotion pinched tight in my chest, and Lathrimos’ smile dimmed slightly. “Hewillbe back. Don’t worry.”

I could tell the words were spoken aloud as much for himself as they were for me, and I was suddenly desperate to change the topic.

And for some reason, imposter syndrome was the first thing that popped out of my mouth.

“I’m terrified I won’t be able to take care of Avernus the way it deserves. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with this place in a matter of days, but I have no idea how to rule a realm and all I’ve ever been good at is killing. Ihateit.”

Lathrimos was frowning again.

Fuck.

Treading water, I tried to return my attention to the magnificent sea surrounding us.

Lathrimos swam beside me, having liberated himself from his strange warrior attire. “Well, lucky for you, pretty much everyone here is already dead.”

I blinked at him, taken by surprise that he’d made an actual joke before my head tipped back with laughter. Lathrimos chuckled, looking a little relieved that I’d been humored. When our laughter died down, he grew serious again. “Ruling a kingdom in the living world is nothing like it is here. I think you’re under the veryhumanassumption that ruling this place will have the same tribulations and obligations that those in the living world have.”

---