Page 85 of A Pact of Blood

My husband blinks. For a second, I could almost believe he doesn’t remember the insults he hurled at me.

Perhaps he doesn’t. Perhaps it was merely one of many dressing-downs he delivered in the course of that day, no more significant than the breath he just took.

“Ah.” He swipes his hand past the scar on his lip. “I see your point. No wonder you’ve been upset.”

My fingers ache from the strain ofnotdigging them into the cushion in frustration. “I never said I was upset. I’m trying to ensure you’re as happy as possible with my part in this marriage.”

Marclinus sighs and leans back on the bench, folding his arms loosely over his chest. “What if what I need from you varies somewhat from day to day?”

“Then I suppose I’ll do my best to keep up. But it is difficult to be sure when what you appear to welcome one day turns out to have gravely offended you.”

I’m not a fucking mind-reader, you infuriating prick.

Marclinus waves his hand dismissively. “I wasn’t offended. Sometimes I may be more extravagant with how I express myself than is strictly accurate. It was a long day withtrying news, and I was not in the mood right then to be challenged.”

I can’t hold back the question that’s clawed by my throat. “Are you suggesting that Ishouldn’ttake you at your word?”

“I’m suggesting that you need to learn how to determine what I’m really getting at. And not be offended yourself if I’m not perfectly polite.”

“I’m doing my best. It would be appreciated if you’d be forgiving when I err, especially at this early stage in our marriage. And if you understand why I might prefer to make those errors on the side of caution rather than risk provoking hostile moods.”

With the last words tumbling out, I snap my mouth closed. My heart stutters in a sudden panic.

I haven’t been quite that forceful with him before. I managed not to outright criticize him, but the implicit chiding isn’t exactly subtle.

My husband’s eyes have narrowed. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d have made it through all those trials only to be crushed by a few harsh words.”

Is that all he thinks he’s punished me with over the past few weeks?

I push a demure smile onto my face. “I’m quite all right. As I said, I simply wish to see you content and to serve you as well as I can.”

His cool gray gaze lingers on me through several more beats of my heart. I’m afraid to look away.

Something shifts in Marclinus’s expression with a twist of his mouth. “I may have been overly extravagant with my demands on Accasy’s breamwood trade as well. Obviously doubling production would be over-stretching. I was merely making a point. A ten percent or so expansion should be more than satisfactory.”

So hecandecipher that I have reasons beyond my own comfort to be concerned about his moods. The punishment still stings when I’d hoped to decrease the pressure Dariu is putting on my family’s kingdom, but I’ll take the small win for what it is. “I’m sure my former people will happily fulfill that request.”

Marclinus adjusts his position restlessly as if he’s not completely satisfied with my response. “You do need to recognize that I’m the ultimate authority in the empire. The decisions are mine and mine alone to make, regardless of what we’ve discussed. Any great leader must have the ability to change his or her mind as circumstances call for it.”

He already thinks of himself as a “great” leader, does he? I wonder what the Lavirians his soldiers are stringing up would say about that.

“I wouldn’t want you to do anything you feel is bad policy,” I reply. “When I ask questions, it’s so I have the full picture. I much prefer knowing what’s going on around me to being kept in the dark, whether I have any say in what’s happening or not. And I think I can be a better partner to you the more I’m aware.”

“Yes. That’s reasonable.” Marclinus brushes his unruly golden curls away from his forehead, his gaze sliding away from me. “I’ve prepared for this position for a long time, but the promotion was rather… sudden. I’ve gained many vital duties and lost the one person I fully trusted for guidance all in one swoop. It will take a little time before my footing is perfect. I appreciate your patience while I find the right balance.”

That almost sounds like an apology—or far closer to one than I’ve ever gotten from him before, in any case.

It’s my turn to blink at him, just for a second before I gather myself. “Patience is one of my greatest virtues. You can thank my dedication to Elox for that.”

A thin but definite smile stretches Marclinus’s lips. “Ishould never discount the wisdom of any of the godlen. And your input has generally been both thoughtful and relevant.”

He glances down at his wrist, his fingers grazing the gold band that symbolizes our marriage vows. “Wearemeant to be a partnership. Perhaps what would serve both our interests best is if I ask you for your opinions when I’m sure I can give them due consideration, and you believe that if I do ask you outright, I mean to consider them?”

When his eyes meet mine again with a glimmer of warmth shining in them, a lump rises in my throat.

In this moment, he sounds genuine. But after all the cruelty he’s shown in the past, after the many times he’s turned on me on a whim, how can I possibly trust him?

Neither I, the men I love, nor the countries we hope to protect will be safe until this man is ashes like his father. Him being slightly nice to me for a minute changes nothing.

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