A Soul for Vengeance

Chapter 33



Kell rummaged through the wreckage of his father’s chambers. It had taken the Ranellians only a few hours to completely rout the Thallians from Trivinus once Ermane was killed. Zara had been right all along. Cut off the head of the dragon, and the rest would fall.

The dying sunlight caught on a diamond embedded in a fragment of gold. He picked it up. It was shattered and warped, but he recognized it as part of his father’s crown. A jumble of emotions welled up inside him as he held it. Like the crown, his kingdom had been torn apart and damaged, but he still saw glimpses of its former glory. And now the crown was his again.

Foresco’s prophecy replayed through his mind as he held it, letting the raw edges of the metal bite into his palm.

You will see your dream of a new Ranello take shape, but not without sacrifice. You will know defeat. You will lose those you hold dear. But in the process, Ivis will bless you. You will help defeat a god, and you will save your homeland yet again.

Everything the seer had foretold had come to pass, but there was still more for him to do.

“You know, I think you can mold it into something better,” Arden said behind him.

He turned around, wondering if she’d mastered her cousin’s art of invading people’s thoughts. “What do you mean?”

“I was referring to the crown, but it seems that it could apply to a number of things.” She came toward him, stepping around a pile of debris. “The castle, the city, the kingdom. It’s up to you to create order out of the chaos, but I have every confidence you can do it.”

“As long as you and Loku promise not to wreak any more havoc on the land,” he joked, loosening his grip on the broken crown.

The halo in her eyes flashed, but she shook her head. “Don’t worry, Kell. I have him under control.”

For the first time since he’d learned the truth about Loku, he believed her.

He set the crown on his father’s desk and surveyed the damage. “We have our work cut out for us.”

“I’m willing to help where I can.” She gave him a gentle smile. “I came because Zara’s asking for you.”

“She’s awake?”

Arden nodded. “I healed her as much as she’d let me.”

“Meaning?”

“She’s a typical Ranellian—suspicious of magic.” She picked up the crown and traced the edges with her finger. “I offered to erase her memories of Ermane’s torture, but she refused. Said it was part of her now.”

Guilt plunged into his heart. He’d only seen a glimpse of what Ermane had done to her, and yet Zara still wanted to remember it all? “And did you honor her wishes?”

Arden raised one brow. “Within reason. Some of the more horrid things, I erased from her memory.” She set the crown back down on the desk, staring at it as she added, “She is a remarkable woman, Kell, and I’m glad you found someone like her.”

He came up beside her, lifting her chin up. “I’ve been blessed to know two very remarkable women.”

“But your heart belongs to her, just like mine belongs to Dev. The Lady Moon is generous that way.” She lowered his hand. “You shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

“Thank you, Arden.” He placed a kiss on her cheek and dashed down the hallway to his father’s bedroom.

Zara lay against a pile of pillows, the color seeping back into her cheeks and the haunted glow gone from her eyes. She beamed at him when he entered the room. “Kell!”

He’d have to thank Arden for healing Zara, even if some of it was against her wishes. The woman in front of him resembled the Zara he’d held in his arms that last night in the camp. He sat on the edge of the bed and wasted no time kissing her. He held back, waiting to see if she was well enough to handle the passion he’d kept at bay.

She was more than ready for him. Her arms pulled him closer, her lips parted to allow him to deepen the kiss, and her hungry moan told him she wanted more than just a kiss.

In the end, though, he was the one who held back and ended it. The fatigue of the day’s events hung on him like a lead cloak. For now, he’d have to be content with just a kiss.

She leaned back against the pillows, her skin flushed with passion. “I can be patient,” she said as though she knew exactly how he felt.

“Thank you.” He examined her, seeing no evidence of the fresh wounds Ermane had given her. “How are you feeling?”

“Should I kiss you again and show you?” She chuckled, although her eyes grew serious. “I thanked Arden for healing me and erasing all traces of the nightmare dust from my system, but somehow, I don’t think my words are enough.”

“Trust me, they are.” She was no longer referring to Arden as the yellow-haired witch, a sign she no longer held any hostile feelings toward her. “She was just telling me how much she admires you.”

Zara grinned and looked down at the coverlet. “I suppose I’m glad she came to our aid, as much as I’d protested help from Gravaria to begin with. Speaking of which, what did you promise the Empress in return for her support?”

“A number of things, but the big things were that I wouldn’t harm any of her people while they were aiding the kingdom and that I would lift the ban on magic.”

“That seems fair enough.” She threaded her fingers through his, her eyes still downcast. “It’s my turn to confess a few things.”

She drew in a deep breath, exhaling in a series of stutters, “I’m sorry I ran away like I did. As much as I try to act brave, I think that was the most cowardly thing I’ve ever done. I ran out on Bynn. I ran out on you and what we could’ve had together. I was so terrified you wouldn’t want me after learning the truth about my scars that I failed to trust in how much you loved me to begin with.”

A tear streaked down her cheek as she whispered. “Do you forgive me?”

Her words filled his heart with an emotion stronger than he’d experienced. He was so deeply in love with Zara, he’d forgive her anything. But the fact that she admitted her faults and asked his forgiveness for them only intensified his feelings for her. She was a gem above all others, one he refused to ever let slip away from him again.

He reached forward to wipe her tear away and realized with a start that the scene before him seemed to be ripped from the vision he’d seen from Foresco’s box. So far, the seer had been accurate in his predictions. Perhaps it was time to test them once again. “I do, but on one condition.”

Her gaze snapped to his, her brows gathered in a mixture of puzzlement and wariness. “What?”

“I’ve heard you have quite the knack for picking locks.” He pulled the metal box from his pocket, followed by a set of picks. “Would you mind opening this for me?”

She studied the outside of the box from every angle before reaching for one of the tools. “It’s beautiful craftsmanship, Kell. Where did you get it?”

“From the same man who crafted my sword.”

She gave a disdainful sniff, still focused on the lock. “He’s not that great a swordsmith, if you ask me. Your sword has to be the most awkward weapon I’ve ever held.”

“That’s because it was crafted for only me.”

“Perhaps he should stick with these little boxes.”

A click filled the room, and the lid fell back, revealing three rings. Two were simple bands, adorned only with elegant scrollwork. The last was a matching ring with a pink diamond set in its center.

Zara gasped, just like she had in his vision, and Kell realized what Foresco had intended. His heart hammered as he picked up the diamond ring. Foresco had foreseen more than him regaining his crown. The seer had been guided by the Lady Moon to help him capture the heart of the perfect queen. “My offer still stands, Zara. Please marry me.”

She started to reach for the ring, then pulled her hand back, tears glistening in her eyes. “I can’t, Kell, no matter how much I want to.”

“And what if I said it didn’t matter to me that you can’t have children?” He took her hand in his, ignoring her protests, and slid the ring on her finger. “I’d rather have a lifetime of happiness with you than a room full of children without you.”

Her lips parted, her breath quickening to match the fine tremor in her hand. “But your line? Your throne?”

“The Sanguazur blood runs through my niece, remember? She’ll grow up and marry and carry on the royal line.” He touched her cheek, the pounding of his heart so at odds with the gentle calm of his fingers. “I need a queen that will help me rebuild Ranello, a queen that will care for my people as much as I do, a queen like you. Please say you’ll be my wife.”

For a moment, she said nothing, her gaze flickering from the ring to him. Then she threw her arms around him. “Yes, Kell, I will marry you.”

And in that moment, he knew the greatest joy imaginable.

Arden peered through the cracked door, grinning until her cheeks hurt as she watched Zara accept Kell’s proposal. She’d come back to talk to them about the odd presence of another soul, another beating heart inside Zara’s body that she’d discovered while healing her, only to find them kissing each other in a way she loathed to interrupt.

“It’s rude to spy on people.”

Arden yelped and turned around to find Dev, standing less than a foot away, his brow cocked in a reprimanding arch.

He closed the door and crossed his arms. “Perhaps we should give them a few moments alone.”

Her cheeks burned as she slid along the wall toward a window. In the courtyard below, the Ranellians were rounding up the Thallians, binding them in chains until Kell decided what he’d do with him. At the moment, though, he had more important matters to deal with.

“I’m glad she accepted his proposal,” she said, her back to Dev. “Kell deserves someone like her.”

“Admit it,” Loku whispered, “weren’t you a little jealous when you saw the ring he gave her?”

“No, because I decided long ago that I would be a horrible queen. Zara is his perfect match.”

“I wasn’t talking about becoming queen. I was talking about the betrothal ring. Wouldn’t you love a little bauble like that on your finger?”

She looked down at her bare fingers, uncertainty keeping her from answering right away.

“I never understood the human tradition of giving betrothal rings,” Dev said, coming closer to her.

“The ring is meant to represent their unending love for each other because a circle has no end.” She pushed that shred of envy aside and reached for her mother’s necklace. “What do elves do to mark a marriage or betrothal?”

“We give necklaces. The pendants are meant to lie over our hearts as a sign of our love.”

She stopped playing with her mother’s necklace and looked down at the pendant, finally realizing the significance of her father’s gift. It had been his way of proclaiming his love to her mother. She turned back to Dev, asking “Do you suppose Varrik wanted to marry—”

The words died in her mouth when she saw the delicate chain dangling from his fingers. And hanging from it was a small golden pendant, not too different from her mother’s. Her breath caught as she reached for it. The Elvish inscription on the side of the pendant flashed in the light. “What does it say?”

“‘I love Trouble.’” He gave her a wry, self-deprecating grin. “I’m not as poetic as your father was.”

A sob of joy choked her laugh. The simple inscription fit the complex man she’d come to love with all her heart. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she leaned into his arms, still holding the pendant. “I love you, too.”

He fastened the chain around her neck, his fingers around her neck and along her jaw when he finished. His green eyes darkened with anticipation and desire. “And do you accept my gift?”

“I do.” But as soon as she said the words, a dozen questions flooded her mind. “That is, if it means what I think it means, because if you’re proposing, then we’ll have to wait until I have a new—”

Dev silenced her by placing his finger on her lips. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

And she did, enjoying every second in his arms until that familiar voice inside her mind interrupted the moment by saying, “You know, there’s an empty bed down the hall, if you want to drag him to it. I promise not to watch.” Loku snickered. “At least not too closely.”

Arden’s cheeks burned as she ended the kiss. Leave it to Loku to remind her that she’d always have a voyeur, even in her most intimate moments. She added an extra layer of containment spells to keep the chaos god’s comments silent before taking Dev by the hand and leading him to the aforementioned bed for the rest of the night. She’d deal with Loku in the morning. For now, she belonged to Dev.