Page 82 of Rise of the Phoenix King (Crown and Crest 4)

I’m halfway down the main entry hall when a hand falls on my shoulder. I gasp, whirling around, drawing the dagger on impulse.

Henrik stares back at me, his stormy eyes worried. He glances down at the blade, and his frown deepens.

“Sorry,” I mutter, sliding it back into its sheath. “It’s been a long night.”

“Don’t go alone.”

I nod toward the entrance. “Everyone has better things to do than nanny me.”

He raises a brow. “Then don’t sleep.”

I laugh a little, shaking my head.

“Stay with Audra,” Lawrence says, coming up behind us.

I turn, too tired to be surprised he snuck up on me. “I don’t want to impose.”

“Don’t argue with me,” he commands, and then he continues down the hall.

“I need to go with him,” Henrik says. “But first, I’ll take you to Audra.”

I accept his hand when he offers it, thankful we don’t have to hide our relationship anymore.

“I’d rather stay by your side,” I whisper, meaning it with every fiber of my being. “Sleep can wait.”

He gives me a weak smile. “You’re half asleep already.”

“It’s been an awful few weeks,” I whine quietly, only because it’s Henrik.

Nodding, he squeezes my hand.

Tears blur my vision, the kind that are spurred by frustration, heartache, and exhaustion. Everything seems so big, so impossible.

And so many people died tonight.

“Come on,” Henrik says gently, giving my hand a tug. I follow, too tired to argue.

Despite everything, it feels good to walk with Henrik, to hold his big, warm hand and silently declare he’s mine. We’d receive more than a few raised eyebrows if the circumstances were different, but no one bothers to look at us now. No one cares.

We find Audra with Ayan in a shadowed corner of the courtyard, and we hang back, neither of us eager to intrude.

The High Vale looks over when he spots us and stoically clears the grief from his face. He offers a smile that’s a ghost of his normal one and stands a little straighter. “Are you going to loiter there all night?”

“Ayan, I’m so—”

He raises his hand to stop me. “Please, don’t. Not yet.”

I nod, pressing my lips together.

“Pranmore said Ayan broke his mind ward tonight,” Audra says quietly, changing the subject. “His magic is finally unbound.”

I nod, unsure how to answer. He’s worked so hard on it these last few months, and in one night, it’s destroyed. Though I’m sure it’s a relief, it came about in such a horrific way.

“Lawrence and I are going to be dealing with this most of the night,” Henrik says to Audra. “And it’s too late for Clover to ride to her parents’ estate. Can she stay with you tonight?”

I feel like I’m eight years old.

“Of course.” But Audra glances once more at Ayan, worried.

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