Page 27 of A Pact of Blood

I fold my arms over my chest. “I don’t see how he could guarantee that.”

Although knowing how the princes look out for each other, I find it hard to believe Raul would have made the promise if he wasn’t sure he could follow through.

Lorenzo simply shrugs. We eye each other across the tub, which suddenly feels tiny compared to the vast gulf my refusal opened up between us days ago.

A lump rises in my throat. It’s still difficult for me to imagine that I won so much affection and devotion from any of these men that they were willing to throw away their entire future to be with me.

But Lorenzo was. And I turned my back on him. I wouldn’t make a different decision even now.

What am I supposed to say to him?

“Was there something specific you wanted to talk about?” I ask tentatively.

It’s hard to read the emotions that travel across Lorenzo’s deep brown face. His jaw flexes, his gaze flicking down and up again, his stance swaying slightly as if he almost stepped closer but thought better of it.

“Raul says you dealt with Tarquin. That you stayed here in order to do it.”

I never admitted to the murder in so many words even to Raul, as accepting as he was of the act. My lungs constrict against the idea of voicing my crime out loud.

How much loyalty can I count on from a man whose heart I broke?

I lift my chin toward Lorenzo. “Does the possibility bother you? He toldmethat you all were planning to do the same for years before I ever showed up.”

“Because we were angry and a little scared, and it seemed like the whole continent would be better off without Tarquin, back then. Now it’s just been handed over to Marclinus.”

The despair in his words wrenches at me. Gazing back into his dark eyes, I see those boys of ten or eleven years old whispering in hallways and secret rooms. Planning their immense sacrifices around the idea of bringing down their tormenter and saving their kingdoms.

Watching that dream crumble to dust just a few years later when the eldest of them snapped and fell in a bloody heap at a stab of a guard’s sword.

Despite the tension between us, I want to challenge that despair. Perhaps because I’ve teetered so close to the edge of it myself.

My voice softens. “And I’m married to him. I’d think Ihave a better chance of steering the empire in a more peaceful direction as the emperor’s wife than as Tarquin’s daughter-in-law.”

Lorenzo is silent for a moment, simply staring at me.“And that’s what you intended to be, as quickly as possible, all along.”

The lump in my throat expands until I feel as if I’ll choke. I will it down as well as I can. “I never lied to you. I told you I had to marry Marclinus. I told you I was here to do whatever I could to see my country—and yours—have a better future. I just didn’t tell you exactly how far I was willing to go.”

“But you… You’re dedicated to the godlen ofhealing. You were always trying to stop the violence…”

My mouth twists. “I didn’t say I enjoyed what was required of me. But Elox gave his blessing. You aren’t very familiar with him if you think I’ve strayed from his teachings. He’s always believed that violence is sometimes necessary to save more lives in the end. I’m the one who could come here. I’m the one who could clear the way. So I did.”

Lorenzo’s expression twitches. All at once, he strides around the tub. His expression is so intense, my body goes rigid when he reaches for my arm. “Lorenzo, don’t?—”

He freezes with his hand simply touching my elbow.“I’m not going to hurt you, Rell. Iwouldn’t.I just— It’s not only up to you. I’m here with you now. I might not be able to do much, but I can hold you and take on a little of that burden. It shouldn’t have been all yours to begin with.”

The fond nickname brings a burn of tears to the back of my eyes. I blink hard, my heart still thudding fast, but I’m not sure what there really is to be afraid of now.

Ever so tentatively, I tilt toward Lorenzo. With a raw sound, he gathers me against his chest.

I rest my forehead against his shoulders and breathe inthe warm, tangy scent I’ve missed. My next words come up in a mumble muffled by his shirt. “I’m sorry.”

The prince’s embrace tightens.“I’msorry. I was thinking too much about what would make me happiest and not enough about what matters to you. I should have known you well enough to be sure you had good reasons.”

“I mean, the whole point was for it to not look as if I could have had anything to do with it, so I can’t really blame you for having trouble believing I did.”

“Raul knew. I should have trusted him and you more.”

A soft laugh tumbles out of me. “Well, he hasn’t always been right about me, so I think you can be forgiven there too.”

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