Page 252 of A Queen's Game
He stood and took her hand. “You will not die. I won’t let it happen.”
Marietta looked up into his face, taken aback by the intensity in his expression. “Why do you care if I die or not? It’d solve your war.”
“I’d fight both of them if it meant keeping you safe.”
For a moment, she could say nothing. She held his gaze, the impact of his words taking root. “That seems a tad brash,” she said, trying to deflect.
“You would know.” He looked away as he smiled, trying to hide it.
Marietta reached for his chin and drew his face back toward her to see. She was on death’s doorstep and this man, this stranger—a gods damned king—once again wanted to save her. Little did he know she hated needing to be saved.
He leaned in, Marietta’s heart racing at the thought of his lips on hers again, but they fell short as he rested his forehead against hers. His hands caressed her cheeks as she closed her eyes and savored the deepness of his voice. “No matter what happens, no matter which way the ruling goes, I’ll make sure you live.”
“Couldn’t you just pardon my crimes?” she asked, pulling her head away. “You’re the King.”
“I’m a king trying not to be a king. If I ordered people to do as I wish, then how could I justify uniting with Enomenos?” He shook his head. “The balance I have with my current council is that I trust that they will uphold the laws.”
“Great,” Marietta said. “You have one minister who proves he doesn’t.”
“Keyain is a fool.”
“An understatement.”
He smiled again, not hiding it from her that time. “If they vote in favor of your execution,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “then I’ll get you out of Satiros. You’ll live no matter what, so don’t lose hope. Please.”
His last word was a plea, his emotions twitching his lips downward. Gods damn him for it, for the way she wished to smooth the tension between his brows. For the truth she heard in his words. As it was in the beginning, Wyltam wished to make sure she was alright. Her chest stirred with an emotion she dared not name. “I trust you,” she murmured.
A moment passed where he said nothing, just taking in the details of her face. “I’ll talk to the nurses so they don’t drug you again.”
“An order from their King?” she said with a slight raise of her brow.
“A demand, if you will,” he said. “As long as I’m the King, no one will touch you or give you anything without your consent. That is my promise.”
Marietta dropped her hand from his touch, nodding her head. She watched as he left, as he paused in the doorway to look at her one last time before closing it.
Her head whirled with the information. Valeriya was dead, she was on trial to be executed, and the King wanted to save her. None of it sat right with her, feeling helpless. There had to be some way to gain control, one way to flip it on them. Mariettapaced as she reflected on the conversation, determined to find a way out by herself.
Chapter One Hundred
Elyse
Elyse hesitated outside the door, stomach clenched as she twisted the rings on her fingers. Under her arm wasFulbryk’s Guide to Chorys Dasi, somehow left on her desk after Sylas and Azarys disappeared. When she finally returned to her suite, she expected it to be gone with them; yet it laid open on the page, the ink long since fading back to blank pages.
She couldn’t stop thinking about what she saw, couldn’t stop picturing him with horns. What in the hells kind of other elf were they? She stood in the mirror for an hour, searching her scalp for protrusions, finding nothing. Not knowing left her on edge, her mind racing with the possibilities. If she could just share it with someone, someone who wouldn’t think she was crazy, then it would be enough to calm down.
With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
“Come in,” called a voice.
Entering the room, she found Marietta on the infirmary bed, brows furrowed as she stared at her hands. When she looked up, her face relaxed. “Elyse, it’s you.”
Elyse ran across the room, tossing the book onto the bed. She pulled Marietta into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry, Marietta.”
“No reason to be sorry.” She leaned back with a tired smile on her face. “You have no idea how much I needed this distraction.”
“We’re trying to find something.”
“We?” Marietta asked with a speculative brow. “Helping the King now, are you?”
