Page 17 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Arkimedes, however, still refused to look at her. Could he feel her emotions right now? Or had the bond somehow been affected by the loss of his memories? Why didn’t he remember her?
He and his captors had left that island so quickly, they had to have taken a portal, like what Devon created. Had Arkimedes been the one to pay the price? Had he been thinking of her at that specific moment and lost her?
Her chest squeezed and the knot in her throat became giant, making it hard to swallow, let alone breathe. Her eyes prickled as tears blurred her vision, and she forced her gaze away. Unsure if her emotions were only acting this way because of the possibility of him never remembering what had happened, but also because of the possibility of her never regaining whatever she’d lost.
“Stop frowning, kitten. You’re going to wrinkle,” Devon said.
She narrowed her eyes at him; however, she didn’t trust her voice not to crack if she spoke a word.
The metal around her wrist loosened, and the discomfort in her skin eased slowly. The guard stepped away but stayed behind. She suspected he was buying himself time before his friend returned with whatever the jewels were.
“It has been a while since I have seen you, brother. Ever since you’ve been away from . . .” Devon let his words die down.
“The Iron City?” Arkimedes’s voice deepened, and she could barely see his expression from his sharp profile. “We can speak about it at another time—when we are alone.” His eyes flashed to Nava, and her stomach sank.
Devon nodded but said nothing. She could feel her soulmate’s shoulders grow tense. Perhaps he was sensing some of her despair. If he really didn’t remember her, then that alone would be disconcerting.
“Is she always this quiet?” Arkimedes asked flatly, finally fixing his gaze upon her.
Devon laughed as the second guard approached him with careful steps, reaching for the cuffs on his back. “Not at all, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts.”
“Well, you can start by asking me the question instead of asking Devon, Your Highness.” Those last words tasted bitter. This was all too much.
Arkimedes’s frown deepened. She heard the distinct noise of someone gasping in shock; she guessed the poor guard behind Devon was expecting Arkimedes to flail her for her response.
He opened his mouth, but the upcoming steps of Rilu and a fae woman had them all turning their way. She held a polished metal box in her hands and approached Arkimedes with wide, shiny eyes.
She was slim and tall. Her deep burnt-orange dress skimmed her narrow hips and hugged her chest. Her hair was pale and long, cascading behind her back with each step she took toward them. No wings showed behind her back, unlike the guards. Had she put them away with magic?
Nava didn’t need a soothsayer to figure the fae was swooning over her soulmate. Not that she blamed her. He was handsome, dark, and powerful. The wide coquettish smile, and the wave of the woman’s hips, made her blood boil.
“Your Highness called?” Her voice was tones of melody, and she extended the box to Arkimedes with a flutter of her eyelashes.
What a stupid question, because . . . duh. If Nava could vomit somewhere, she hoped it would be on the woman’s dress—or maybe Arkimedes’s shoes.
“Thank you, Callisto.” Arkimedes opened the box, and inside were two gold bracelets encrusted with sapphires and emeralds. Rune letters in a language she didn’t understand marked the sides.
“Is it necessary for me to wear this? I came here looking for you. Surely you know I won’t leave,” Devon asked. For the first time since they’d left the throne room, his calm mask shifted.
He would totally leave if it weren’t for the life debt, right? Devon's expression showed a rare vulnerability she hadn’t seen before. The way his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, his crestfallen face.
It hit her then that Devon Black had never left Arkimedes. He had been searching for his brother for a decade. He wasn’t going to leave him behind on the island. Nor was he going to leave him here. Life debt or not.
“I’m afraid so.” At least that had not changed. Arkimedes was still a man of brief words. He handed the cuff to Devon, and the Crow hesitated for a moment, his eyes fixed on her.
This was it. Maybe now that the Crow had his magic, he could open a portal again and they could leave this horrid place behind. She still had her magic; they could stun Arkimedes for a moment and take him away. He would not expect it. This could be their only shot.
Devon’s black eyes fixed on her as if he were reading her thoughts. Shockingly, he closed the bracelet over his wrist, and just like that, their chance of escape was gone.
Arkimedes took a step toward her but hesitated to approach. Maybe it was the way she looked at him, the churning in her gut, or a spark of memory? He lifted the delicate bracelet to her, and her jaw grew tenser. No, not a memory.
“I don’t want your family jewels on me.”
Devon snorted before his head tilted back with a deep, rolling laugh.
Arkimedes’s lips twitched. “What’s your name?”
“Nava.”
