A Soul for Vengeance (26 page)

“Perhaps I was just about to get to that before you barged in.”

She dared to sneak a glance at him. That was her first mistake. The heat in his green eyes set off an inferno deep inside her. Then she made her second mistake—letting him undo the tie on her braid and comb his fingers through her hair.

His voice was soft, and yet it still cracked with his raw desire. “May I?”

She didn’t trust her tongue to make a coherent response, so she nodded. Her shoulders tensed as he dipped his hands into the water behind her, grazing her bare back in the process, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Is something wrong, Trouble?”

She forgot all about the awkwardness of him being so close to her when she was completely naked. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“Yes,” he replied with a wry smile. “But perhaps I enjoy getting a rise out of you every time I call you that.”

“So you admit that you enjoy annoying me?”

“Only as much as you enjoy annoying me.”

The bath sloshed behind her. A stream of warm water poured from the crown of her head down her back. She let her neck relax and tilted her face up, eyes closed, as Dev repeated it. “Just be careful not to rust out your concealed weapons.”

He graced her with his cynical one-note laugh. “I already took care of them.”

She opened one eye and caught the glint of light on the handle of the knife hidden in his boot. She pulled it out. “Not all of them.”

“I’ve learned to always be prepared for trouble when it comes to you. Now shut up and let me wash the mud out of your hair.”

The last traces of unease faded away as she followed his command. When she’d first met Dev, she balked at the idea of letting him see her without her clothes, much less do something as intimate as this. Now, though, everything about this moment felt so right, from the gentle way he massaged her scalp to the scent of spices and evergreens that rose from his skin as he rinsed the soap from her hair. She could stay like this forever if she could. A mournful note filled her soul when he started wringing the water from her hair. She expected him to step back and order her to get dressed now that she was clean, but he lingered beside her instead.

“Arden, I—” His words choked, and she looked up to find a strange emotion flickering across his face.

“Yes, Dev?”

For a few seconds, neither one of them moved. Her heart pounded as he licked his lips, but his eyes never traveled to below her face. They stayed fixed with hers as though he were trying to channel everything that was inside him through them. Her breath caught when she saw glimpses of tenderness, admiration, and longing in their dark green depths.

“You never gave me a chance to explain before you left.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, sending spear of heat straight into the lowest recess as his fingertips grazed the scarred tips.

“And what would you have said?”

His fingers trailed down along her jaw, then tilted her face toward his. He brushed his lips against her forehead in the gentlest of kisses and said, “I would’ve told you the real reason why I ask to be relieved of my duty as your Protector.”

Her hands trembled in time with her chin. “Which was?”

“Damn it, Arden, can’t you see that I’m so madly in love with you I can’t see straight?”

Before she had a chance to absorb his confession, his mouth was on hers again with the same intense hunger as when he’d kissed her earlier in the alley. This time, she didn’t try to fight it. She never wanted it to end. She grabbed his shirt in her fists, holding on to him for dear life. Dev loved her, and she wasn’t going to let him go for as long as she breathed.

He pulled back, his chest heaving and his pupils wide, his voice tense with barely contained want. “Arden, please.”

She knew what he was asking, and she’d never deny him. “I love you, too, Dev,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her to the bed.

Chapter 21

Kell caught Zara as she slid from her saddle. He’d panicked from the way she’d come into the camp slumped over her horse, cursing every rung in the ladder leading from Bynn’s hut to the ground. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, the shadows under her eyes telling him far more than words ever could. “I’m fine. Just worn out from trying to get back to you so quickly.”

“You shouldn’t endanger your life for me.”

She gave him a weak laugh and pulled a chain up from under her shirt. “I knew you’d want this back as soon as possible.”

Arden’s pendant dangled in front of him, but Kell continued to hold on to Zara rather than reach for it. “You found it?”

“Yes, but not without taking a heavy loss.” She pushed him away, wobbling on her feet as her brother approached. “The Thallians executed Thao in the streets for his part in the rebellion.”

Bynn’s jaw tightened, and he gave a curt nod. To an outsider, his best friend’s response may have appeared cold and detached, but Kell saw the way the knob in his throat bobbed several times before Bynn spoke. “We will miss his contributions to our efforts.”

“That ain’t all that we’ve seen.” Parros came alongside them, his weariness matching his mistress’s. “The Thallians are up to something. Got the whole city of Boznac fortified to the hilt and bursting at the seams with soldiers. Lady Zara and I barely got in and out by the skin of our teeth.”

“We weren’t in that much danger,” she countered, scowling at her brother. “But it did require some creative transportation. More importantly, though, the Thallians must have intercepted something from Thao to one of our leaders. I took the time to send a trusted messenger to Ortono’s camp so they knew what we’ve seen.”

“It seems our hand may be forced sooner than we would’ve liked.” Bynn jerked his head to the side, indicating they should continue this conversation in private.

Kell offered Zara his arm. “May I escort you inside,” he asked as though he were leading her out onto the dance floor instead of to a rickety ladder going up to a tree house.

She took his arm and leaned heavily on him as they made their way through the camp. Worry nagged him along the base of his neck. He’d seen her after she’d pushed herself to cover long distances across the kingdom. Something other than pure fatigue must have caused the paleness in her cheeks and the dull light in her eyes. She sank into the chair closest to the brazier and murmured a word of thanks when Bynn handed her a cup of the bitter tea they were reduced to drinking.

Kell took the seat next to her. “Is what Parros said true?”

She nodded. “It confirmed what Ortono already suspected. Either they’re expecting Gravaria to retaliate, or they’re planning on invading it next.”

He sat and listened as she detailed the number of ships in the harbor, armed soldiers along the city wall, and packed warehouses full of supplies. “It sounds like they could withstand a long siege.”

She nodded. “This is why I think we need to choose our offensive very carefully.”

Then she removed the necklace and handed it to him. “I’ve already spoken to your yellow-haired witch. She seemed very worried about you.”

Kell fought hard not to laugh when he heard the jealous edge in Zara’s voice. He’d moved on from Arden months ago, completely enamored with the woman sitting next to him now. “Then let’s reassure her that I’m perfectly fine.”

He took the pendant and traced the rim, picturing Arden in his mind as he did so. A curse flew from Bynn’s lips as the mirror lit up and chased away all the shadows in the room. When the light died down, Arden’s face appeared in the center of the glass. “Kell?”

The lump that had risen into his throat the last time he’d seen her failed to appear this time. She looked far happier than he’d ever seen her. Her eyes sparkled like the sea on a sunny day, and her cheeks bloomed with joy as she smiled. Then he discovered the reason why when she turned to someone standing beside her and said, “Look, Dev, Kell’s alive.”

The elf’s face appeared briefly as he bowed his head. “Glad to see the rumors of your demise were false, Your Highness.”

The usual snark in his voice was gone, and combined with Arden’s glow, Kell could only assume one thing—they’d both confessed their feelings for one another. But instead of being bitter about it, he actually felt relieved. “It will take more than a few Thallian thugs to get rid of me.”

The mirror shifted back to Arden. “Oh, Kell, we’ve been so worried about you. I’ve been trying to convince Marist to do something to help you, but she’s been refusing to even entertain the thought until she had proof you were alive.”

“You are more than welcome to let her contact me through your pendant. I’m eager to discuss our situation here in Ranello with her.”

Arden’s smile faded. “Is it really as bad as Zara told me?”

Zara lowered her eyes into the contents of her empty cup.

“She’s not one to mince words, nor exaggerate,” he replied. “If you could arrange a meeting with the Empress for me as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it.”

“Give me a few minutes. I’ll make her listen.” The ring around Arden’s irises flashed, and his stomach lurched. All she had to do was let that creature inside her speak out loud, and Kell would be hard pressed to deny her anything. If the Empress was wise, she’d listen to Arden before she released Loku into the conversation.

The mirror blurred, and when the surface cleared, he only saw his reflection. He let the pendent slip through his fingers while still holding on to the chain. “So I guess we’re waiting for an audience with Her Imperial Majesty now.”

“Do you really think Arden will be able to follow through?” Bynn asked, his arms crossed. “And even then, what kind of response do you think we’ll get from the Empress?”

“You know how Arden is. She’ll get her way, even if it means calling upon Loku’s powers.”

His friend raised one brow. “Loku?”

“The God of Chaos whose soul resides inside her.”

Bynn let out a low whistle. “They have you believing in that nonsense now?”

“It’s not nonsense.” A shudder ripped through him as he remembered the deep, sinister voice that came from Arden’s lips when Loku took over her body. “There are some things you just have to see to believe.”

A jolt of magic raced up the chain into his arm, and the mirror started to glow again. He ran his finger around the rim to come face to face with Empress Marist. She had the same blue eyes and golden hair as Arden, but that was where the similarities ended. Arden was all warmth and softness, whereas her cousin was ice and marble. “The Soulbearer said you wished to speak to me.”

If he knew how to do anything properly, it was win over a lady. Kell flashed his most charming grin. “Good evening, Marist. You’re looking as lovely as ever.”

Her expression remained unchanged, but a hint of color crept into her ivory cheeks. “Are you here to discuss Thallus with me, or are you merely wanting to flirt?”

“You waste no time getting down to business. I’m glad we’ve reached this level of familiarity where we don’t have to bother with formality.” He straightened up, letting the seriousness of the matter dictate his posture. “And yes, I do want to discuss the Thallian invasion of Ranello with you, especially in light of what one of my generals has seen in Boznac recently.”

He relayed what Zara had reported, but years on the throne had conditioned Marist to reveal nothing in her countenance. When he finished, she replied, “Then it appears I shall have to strengthen my defenses if they are targeting my people next.”

“And what about our deal?” He’d spent weeks playing diplomatic games with her months ago, hoping to count on her as an ally when needed. “I thought you’d agreed to come to my aid for this very reason—to prevent Gravaria from being next.”

“I cannot allocate any resources to you when they are needed most at home, Prince Kell.”

“Yes, you can, especially if you wish to strike at Thallus before they strike at you.” He curled his free hand around the hilt of his sword, praying to the Lady Moon for a moment of calmness as his anger and frustration ran dangerously close to the surface. “My kingdom has been decimated; my people slaughtered, starving, and enslaved; my armies reduced to guerilla warfare. And yet we haven’t given up. But without aid from you, we stand little chance of overthrowing the Thallians. We cannot fight magic without magic.”

“Something your ancestors should’ve considered when they banned magic from Ranello and executed the Gravarian emissaries that came to their aid during the blight.” The frigid hiss to her voice told him in no uncertain terms that Gravaria had learned its lesson the last time they sent help to Ranello, and that payback could be a bitch.

“Marist, we cannot change the past. I’ve spent many hours explaining my vision for the kingdom to you, the changes I wish to bring about once I am on the throne. But those plans mean nothing while the throne is so far from my grasp.”

She peered down her nose at him, her heavy-lidded eyes analyzing him like a High Inquisitor looking for the slightest hint of a lie. “I will discuss this with my Council.”

“Please do.” Kell forced a confident smile on his face that belied the churning in his gut and the sweat coating his palms. “I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

The mirror flashed, and Marist disappeared from view.

Kell let all his bravado leave his body with the air from his lungs, his head and shoulders slumping from the show he’d put on for the Empress. He’d been counting on her support, and now he was facing the prospect of overthrowing the Triumvirate on his own.

Across the room, Zara’s posture matched his. She lifted her gaze from her cup to meet his. Doubt clouded her gray eyes and tore at his soul. Since she’d rescued him from the Thallians, she’d been his most ardent supporter, the one person who believed they could do this.

Now, she didn’t look so certain.

“If all else fails, there’s always my plan,” she muttered.

“Don’t even think about it,” Bynn ordered. “If the Empress backs out on us, then we’ll just have to come up with something else.”

Under normal circumstances, Zara would’ve argued with her brother, but even that seemed to be too much for her right now. She stood and set her cup on the table. “I’m going to bed.”