Page 25 of Oaths & Vengeance
“Faina and the two boys.”
After we arrived at the cabin, I’d seen them in the light. They didn’t look like boys to me but rather strong, grown men. Of course, almost everyone probably seemed very young to a woman over two centuries old. Life among the fae was dangerous, so few of us made it to that age.
“Good. I’m glad you won’t be alone.”
She let out a weak laugh. “I wouldn’t have minded, but Darrow insisted. For a cursed man, he can be surprisingly protective.”
“What curse?” I asked.
“She is being figurative,” he said, coming directly behind me. “Rynn, how are you feeling?”
I stepped to the side, needing to put distance between us.
“Much better,” my cousin replied, pulling away the blanket and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “I can already feel the magic inside me.”
She leaned down to grab her slippers and slid them onto her feet.
“We took a few minutes to explain matters to her,” Briauna said, glancing at Darrow with an anxious frown. “I’ll assist her with my sister’s magic so she can properly hone it.”
“Good.”
Rynn walked over to us on steady legs, truly looking a hundred times better. “I’m ready to go when you all are.”
Nerves churned in my stomach. I’d been looking forward to saving my cousin, but not the next part of this journey. Was I really doing this? Of course, because I had no other choice.
“Excellent. We’ll leave in five minutes,” Darrow said, spinning on his heels.
Chapter 11
Aella
It was nearly eleven at night by the time Darrow led me to a side entrance at the king’s golden palace. We both wore dark cloaks he’d brought that covered us from head to toe. The few people we’d passed in the street on our way from the portal ring couldn’t have possibly gotten a good look at us. Darrow merely nodded at the few guards we’d encountered, who hadn’t seemed surprised to see him. I kept my head down, and they hardly glanced my way.
Once inside, he led me through a series of narrow corridors that were so plain as to be forgettable and likely only used by servants. Not once did he hesitate on which way to go. I wondered what he’d been doing with the king to know the palace so well.
Eventually, we stepped through a narrow door into an ornate room with cream walls, elaborate tapestries, and elegant gold and dark blue furniture. It was twice the size of our great hall at the Ivory Castle. I noted several instruments, including a harp in the corner. At best guess, the space was used for entertaining.
“Remove your cloak and give it to me,” Darrow said, already taking off his.
My stomach twisted as I did as he requested, placing it in his outstretched hand. Why did it feel like I gave him something far greater than a simple overgarment? He carefully laid the cloaks across the settee with a blue floral print. The whole situation felt surreal.
We’d snuck through a side entrance into the royal castle and used a secret door to enter this sitting room. Somehow, Darrow had convinced the kingto sanction this clandestine ceremony that would alter the course of my life, and I simply went along with it. Had I lost my mind?
Was I really going to marry this man who killed my people ruthlessly? He’d snapped Therressian soldiers’ necks in front of me without hesitation, yet here I was, binding myself to him for life. Despite the fact I kept reminding myself of all his faults, it was hard not to be affected by his dark looks. He was far too devastating for his own good. Why couldn’t he have the decency to appear as dreadful as his soul?
“How long are we going to keep this a secret?” I asked, trying to keep the worry from my voice.
Darrow met my gaze with a twinkle in his gray eyes. “Are you in a hurry to announce it to the world?”
“The opposite.” I hugged myself. “The longer we can avoid the fallout, the better.”
“We’ll keep it quiet as long as possible.” He moved closer and started fussing with my hair, loosening the braid. “I’m hoping for at least six months to a year, if possible.”
I stiffened. “What are you doing?”
Darrow moved behind me and began finger-combing my locks. “We still have a few minutes until the king arrives, and I’m trying to make us presentable. Though he knows we aren’t in love, I may have implied I have some affection for you. He was very adamant that I didn’t coerce you into this.”
He had failed to mention that particular detail at Durelle’s cabin.
