The Shadows

“I didn’t mean for it to go as far as it did!”

“That I believe,” he countered grimly.

“iAm—”

“No.” He put out both his palms. “Just—no. I’m not going to rehash this bullshit with you. I don’t have the time or the interest.”

“I was going to tell you. I know that I’ve put you in a horrible position—”

“My brother just lost his shellan,” he snapped. “That is a problem. She died in front of him, and he spent most of the day and some of the night preparing her body for a goddamn funeral pyre. Then he got to watch her burn until there was nothing left but ashes on the cold ground. That shit is real. But, wait, the fun and games ain’t over! To top it all off, I just learned that your mother, bitch that she is, is prepared to attack the only people who have ever tried to take care of me and Trez if he isn’t delivered like an overnight package on her doorstep tomorrow at midnight. All so that he can have the very dubious honor and privilege of getting mated to the likes of you.” As Catra gasped, he bit out, “So the fact that I had sex with you is so far down my list of priorities, it’s not even on my radar screen. You just aren’t that big a deal, Princess.”

She was not going to cry.

No, she was not.

Even though her chest was screaming in pain, she would not crumble in front of him. She had brought this upon them both—and beyond the private strife, it appeared that real dangers for her people were imminent.

“I wanted to live,” she heard herself say hoarsely. “For once, I wanted to live. And I was not going to get a second chance. You . . . you were the only opportunity I was going to get, and I was going to tell you tonight. I knew it wasn’t fair. I’m very sorry.”

Turning away from him, she went to the sliding glass door and opened things up.

“Time for me to come and join the lovebirds?” s’Ex muttered.

“Were you aware that my mother has issued a declaration of war against Wrath, son of Wrath? Over the Anointed One and our mating?”

The executioner grew very still, his robes flapping around him in the gusts. Meeting her eye, he shook his head gravely. “If that is true, that would not be advised.”

SEVENTY-FIVE

Annnnnnnnd this was why people shouldn’t get married in Vegas after knowing a person for only twenty-four hours, iAm thought.

As the female he’d assumed was just a maid, but had turned out to be the heir to the fucking throne, confronted her mother’s executioner, he wanted to take the bridge. The only possible saving grace in the whole mess was that even though he’d managed to be the first lover of his brother’s betrothed, at least Trez wasn’t likely to be shattered.

Not because of that, at any rate.

Small comfort.

Wasn’t life grand.

The good news? He wasn’t going to have to be worried about any of this female shit again for a long while. After this experience? He was going back into the land of the left hand. Celibacy had worked for him thus far, and he was ready to re-embrace himself, so to speak.

s’Ex came in properly and shut the door behind him. “What is this about war?”

iAm rolled his eyes. “Don’t try to tell me that the Queen has made the threat without you. You’re the general of her army. Her enforcer. Give me a fucking break.”

“I can assure you,” s’Ex muttered as he whipped off his hood, “I would have told her no. We are capable warriors, especially my guards, and we have armaments that no one is aware of. That does not mean it is advisable to court the wrath of Wrath. His reputation over the centuries precedes him.”

iAm looked at the guy. Under other circumstances, he would have been convinced that s’Ex was talking truth, but after having just been snowed by maichen—the Princess, rather—he was not as arrogant about his powers of perception anymore.

“They’re not turning my brother over to your people,” he said. Then he glanced at the Princess. “And they have the backing of the symphaths. It doesn’t matter what you threaten or what you do, where you go or who you try to strong-arm, Wrath and the Brothers are not going to give him to you.”

“You make it sound as if I want him.” Her voice grew hoarse. “I do not. I shall take no male unto my body or my heart.”

He shrugged. “That would be poetic. If you hadn’t already proven how great a liar you can be.”

The flare of pain in her eyes was something he refused to dwell on. Hell, for all he knew, she was just disappointed she’d gotten caught.

Jesus, if she had mated his brother, would she have expected these little rolls in bed to continue—

Stop it. Just cut the crap, he told his brain. Given the number of things he could legitimately beat himself over the head with, he really shouldn’t be adding hypotheticals to the list.

“How did you find out about this?” s’Ex asked. “This declaration?”