Page 111 of Crown of Hearts
“What did he say?”
“This morning, on my way to breakfast, we ran into each other. The conversation led to Argon and Norrandale, and he said that he doesn’t care about your reign as much as Norrandale has something he wants. What else could he mean?”
I leaned my head back against the pillar. “Even if Aries marches into Norrandale, it would take him for ever to find those caves up in the mountains.”
“But is he ever going to stop unless he’s dead?”
“Is that a suggestion?” I asked with slight surprise.
“No.” She thought about it for a moment. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
I could tell by her fidgeting that she was nervous, agitated.
“Did he say anything else?”
Elara looked at me and then away again. “No.”
The air around us was dense and hot, as it always seemed to be in this place.
“Let’s get some fresh air.”
Outside, the party was calmer, with fewer people, the music further away. The evening was still warm, but it felt easier to breathe.
Elara was gazing up at the stars as if she was looking for answers.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I never thought I would miss the forest this much.” The world she’d grown up in was different from this one in every way. It was still a game of survival, but the rules had changed.
“I’m sorry about Arthur and Ray and everyone else you had to lose to get here,” I blurted out.
“It’s not your fault,” she replied.
Arthur, no, but Ray . . .
“I don’t want them to have died for nothing. Their sacrifices have put me in this place, and as much as I want to run away, I cannot let their deaths be in vain.”
“Their deaths will never be in vain. They died for you and that’s worth more than anything.”
Her eyes softened. “I know there is a part of my life before you, but I’m afraid the more time we spend together, the less I seem to remember of it.”
“Marry me.”
The night was silent around my words.
She laughed after a moment. “I believe you already asked me, and I also believe that I already said yes.”
“No.” I took hold of her waist and gently pulled her in to me. “I mean tonight. Marry me tonight.”
“Tonight?” she asked. “Here?”
“You can say no,” I promised her.
“No, I mean . . .”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
Her eyes widened. “You just took me by surprise. How do you plan on doing it? You and I both know Aries wouldn’t allow it out of spite.”
