When Kailani told me she was unsatisfied and wanted to take a lover, I nearly bent her over the couch and claimed her right there. That woman had owned my heart since the day I laid eyes on her in the slave trader room.
The night I learned I was falling in love with Kailani, she was plastered on elf wine, so I couldn’t tell her. Most men would be thrilled to be falling in love with their betrothed, but this horrified me. I’d barely survived losing my family. I thought about ending my life constantly for the first three years. To love another that the Nightfall queen could kill, would break me.
The night I kissed her while she was drunk on elf wine, I barely slept. I was wracked with nightmares of Kailani writhing on the floor and foaming at the mouth. So instead of loving her, I pushed her away, I fought the insane attraction I had to her, I protected her but hurt her with my rejection. Something I hoped she would forgive me for one day.
“Good morning, my love.” Kailani rolled over in bed and kissed my neck. It was the second night we’d shared a bed together and the anxiety that I had expected to come with fully letting my guard down with her, with fully loving Lani, never came. Instead I just felt healed, felt whole. She was the missing puzzle piece all along. The person I could lean on and start a family with.
“I heard there is a liquor shortage because of you.” I kissed her nose and she laughed, stroking my chest.
Maker, I loved that laugh.
Did she have any idea how intelligent she was? Funneling the queen into the Narrow Valley that she’d soaked with liquor and burning it, was genius. I was married to a genius.
My mind wandered then. A week. Drae wouldn’t meet me for a week. That was a long time after just having the queen attack my people. Did I have a week? Would she be back?
“What’s wrong?” Lani asked.
I both hated and loved that she had my mother’s gift of being empathic. It reminded me of my mother, which I loved, but I hated that I could keep nothing from her. I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily. “Nothing. Just that Drae said he wouldn’t be able to meet me for a week. His wife had twins.”
Lani smiled. “That’s wonderful for them… but a week is a long time. Especially after—”
There was a knock at the door.
I stood, throwing my tunic and trousers on, and opened it.
Mrs. Tirth was there looking flustered. “The dragon king is outside with his men.”
My eyes nearly fell out of my head. His men? “What?”
Mrs. Tirth nodded. “He said you would be going to Thorngate, and I should pack your bag.”
That bastard was bossing my lead housemaid around? I couldn’t help but grin. He’d come early.
I looked back at Lani, who rushed forward and planted a kiss on my lips. “Go. I’ve got everything taken care of here.”
She did. I knew that now, and as much as I didn’t want to leave her after just professing my true feelings, I couldn’t keep Drae waiting. We had to take out the queen before she got too powerful.
I ran outside, to the front of my palace to see Drae Valdren and what looked like nearly half of his army. The Drayken made up the first three rows of men and stood tall with their black dragon scale armor. They held banners bearing the Embergate logo, and I was honestly in shock at the sight.
“Speechless?” Drae approached me with a smile. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
I grinned. “You came early, and you brought friends.”
Drae’s smile broadened “I heard that bitch attacked while you were away. We marched right through the Narrow Strait on our way here. I want her to know we have your back. That we’re amassing against her. I figure my men can remain in Archmere while we get Lucien and Axil. I hear there’s good hunting here.”
He was a damn good friend. He might have deserted me before when my parents died but he was just a boy then. Now he was a man, and a good king, and he more than made up for it in this moment.
“You’re welcome to hunt wherever you please,” I told him. “How are the girls?”
Drae chuckled. “I told Arwen to rest but she’s probably already got the babies strapped to her chest while she practices her knife throwing.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. Looked like he’d married the perfect woman for him. “Sounds like you’ve left your kingdom in good hands.”
He nodded. “Shall we go and see Lucien?”
My expression became stony then. Lucien nearly killed me last time. I’d tried to play it off for Kailani’s benefit, but I’d seen it in his eyes—he would have done it had she not been there.
“He’s not the same friend we remember. Life has hardened him.” I didn’t know if it was just what I’d done, sleeping with his love, or something else, but he’d gone dark. All traces of the laughing jokester were gone.
Drae inclined his head. “Then we will have to remind him of who he is.”
With that, my oldest friend in the world pulled out a metal box, rusted at the corners and caked in dirt.
My mouth dropped open at the sight of it. I’d totally forgotten about it. “You dug it up!” I scolded him. It was something all four of us were supposed to do together when we all became kings. I didn’t even remember what I’d put inside. I was eight years old at the time.
Drae shrugged. “We’re all kings now, and none of us talk to each other anymore, so I thought I’d take initiative.”
I was actually excited to open it. I remembered that night vaguely. We’d all been roasting sweet potatoes by the fire at one of our annual retreats, and the memory box had been Lucien’s idea. He said we should bury something to remind us of who we were as happy children because one day we would become angry old kings like our fathers.
Taking this along was a good idea. The box might just bring Lucien back from whatever dark place he’d gone to. If I had put him there, I’d never forgive myself.
I guess it’s time to find out.
