Page 165 of The Ascended
"That's wrong." I hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but the words were already out. "You don't have to do that. Not after what she did to you. Not after how she treated you."
Xül turned fully toward me. "There are things you don't understand, Thais." His jaw clenched. "I have to do this. I have no choice."
"You could stand up to your father," I argued, pushing myself straighter despite the pain it caused. The sheet fell away, revealing one of Xül’s black shirts hugging my frame. "Tell him you won't go through with it."
His irritation hardened. "Stand up to him?" He laughed, a bitter sound. His power pulsed around him, an aura of darkness that made the shadows in the room lengthen and writhe.
"There is nothing to stand up against," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I am doing this to help my father, because it must be. This is my duty to my family, to my domain. To the future of Voldaris."
I stared up at him, refusing to be intimidated. "So you'll just marry someone you don't love? Someone who hurt you?"
He stepped back, and for a moment, the anger seemed to drain out of him, replaced by a hollowness.
"Love was never part of the equation, Thais," he said. "Not for someone like me."
His gaze drifted to the window, to the scarlet beyond. "I've always expected a loveless marriage. I accepted that a long time ago."
He looked back at me. "It's why I don't... allow myself to form attachments that could deepen. There's no point in opening yourself to that kind of vulnerability when you know how the story ends."
His tone made me wonder if he was speaking from experience—if there had been someone, once, who had slipped past those walls.
"That sounds... lonely," I said quietly.
A small smile touched his lips. "You get used to it."
But I could see in his eyes that he hadn't—not really. Behind the cold mask of the Death Prince was someone who had spent his entire life holding everyone at arm's length.
"What I want is irrelevant." His eyes met mine and I caught a fleeting expression—too quick to identify, gone before I could understand it. "It always has been."
I refused to flinch at his words. They hit too close to the thoughts I'd been battling since that moment on the shore—that traitorous warmth that surged through me every time I recalled the press of his mouth on mine, the way my power had surged in response to his touch. I'd spent every day since forcing those memories into the darkest corners of my mind. That kiss had been a means to an end for him. It meant nothing. Could mean nothing. And yet it lingered like a brand on my memory.
I forced a nod, averting my gaze. It was too much—that stare of his. Too intense. Too knowing. And in this moment, I was terrified he’d see right through me.
"But no matter what," he finally said, each word deliberate, "I will be here for you. I will get you through the Trials, Thais." He hesitated, then added, "that much I can promise."
I reached out, not entirely sure what I intended, and he caught my hand. His skin was cool against mine, his fingers wrapping around my own. His thumb traced over my knuckles. For some reason, the simple contact made my throat tighten.
"Rest," he said, and he released my hand.
I watched him move toward the door, his shoulders set in that perfect, regal posture that gave nothing away.
"Xül," I called, just as he reached the threshold.
He paused without turning.
"Thank you," I said softly. "For saving my life. Again."
He looked back over his shoulder, and for the briefest moment, his expression softened. His face changed—a slight relaxation around the eyes, a subtle curve of his lips.
"Always, starling," he replied, the nickname sending an unexpected warmth through me. "Always."
Chapter 39
Echoes of the Forgotten
I woketo silence and empty chambers. The covers on the other side of the bed were disturbed, pulled back as if someone had quietly slipped out of them. I blinked in surprise, taking in the implication. He had slept here? Next to me?
Dawn was beginning to filter through the high windows, casting the room in a pale light that made the dark furnishings seem less imposing.
