Page 56 of The Curse of a Kingdom
“Why don’t you let go?” Was that even her voice? She couldn’t tell anymore. The drumming of her heart muffled everything else.
His darkened gaze dropped to her lips. “Why are you with him?” His brows dipped.
“What?”
“Why does he get to call you his fiancée? Every. Single. Time. You tempt me here, and I want to believe this whole thing.” He hesitated. “I believe you, at least the part that you are a Beekeeper. However, Devon hasn’t come out and said you aren’t engaged.”
Her breath left in a whoosh as he stepped away, his hand dropping from her neck. “It’s not true that Devon and I are matched. He said this to protect us from the king.”
“I almost kissed you. I want to do so much more. My brother calls you his fiancée, even when we speak in private. I need to hear it from him.”
An icy wave ran through her veins, cooling the heat that had been burning there before. She crossed her arms around herself. Devon technically couldn’t hurt them with the life debt in play, but that only protected their lives. He could very well plot to have them both survive but not be with each other.
She had wanted to appear unaffected, but it was too much for her to take. The change of their relationship, the trust they’d always held for the other’s words. Even before accepting their bond, they’d both known to trust each other.
But this was too different, and just as this was all a shock to Arkimedes, it was also to her. Shelovedhim, whereas he might lust over her now but had not fallen in love with her yet. He was also determined to call himself Orion; he wanted to play prince and had just told her he had never wanted to be a Crow, never wanted to be Arkimedes.
The man she loved.
“If you need to talk to him to believe me, do so. I would love to be present because I sure as hell don't trust what he tells you.”
“Itrust him.”
“Well, you are more naïve now than you were before!” she snarled and almost felt sorry for the way his face fell.
“You came here with him. If anything, your actions don’t match your words.”
“I’m here trying to save you after you were kidnapped! I had few options at the time. I don’t know how to open a portal or work with dark magic. All I know is I came here and you didn’t remember me, and you aren’t the only one who lost memories.”
Silence descended upon them, the thickness in the air strong enough that she found it hard to breathe. Arkimedes's frown softened as he took in her ragged stance. “You paid the price by crossing, not Devon?”
“I lost all memories of my father.” Her voice cracked.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Your reaction in the garden was when you realized he had been taken from you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
The churning coming through their bond made it all worse. “Good night, Arkimedes.” Her feet dragged over the stone when she turned toward her room.
“Nava . . .”
But she closed the door behind her.
* * *
The sound of the curtains being pulled aside woke Nava from sleep; the morning sun stretched shapes over the floor of her bedroom. She grumbled and sank her face into the pillow, chasing the last remnants of sleep.
“Good morning, miss!” Leela’s voice was shrill with excitement.
Nava awaited stiffly inside her warm cocoon. Maybe the fae would take the hint and leave. It wasn’t like she had much to do other than transfer to Devon’s room and hope she would find Arkimedes there.
Get that damn conversation over with.
Her whole body ached, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Her hair still smelled like smoke, even though she had spent a good hour in the bath scrubbing every inch of her body clean of the grime from yesterday.
“Too tired.” Nava’s voice came out muffled by the pillow, but soon enough, Leela’s cool fingers dragged the sheets away. “Hey!”
