“Cas.”
He turned at the sound of Em’s voice and crawled to the edge of the loft to look down. She stood next to the ladder below him and turned in a circle, surveying the boxes and old furniture around her.
“Is this it? The hidden room?” she asked.
“What?”
“When I was looking for you once, when I lived here before, you said you were in a hidden room. Is this it?”
“Yes.” He pointed to the ladder. “Come up.”
She climbed the ladder and ducked her head as she stepped into the loft space. He scooted back, leaning his head against the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him. She sat down across from him, glancing briefly out the window.
“I think we should talk about Franco’s question,” he said, his heart pounding in his chest. “About marriage.”
“Yes.” She rubbed her hands on her pants. “Can I go first?”
“Please.”
“Do you think the Lerans will even let—?” She cut herself off, shaking her head. “Sorry. That’s the wrong place to start.”
“The wrong place?”
“Everyone else’s opinions. That’s the wrong place to start this conversation.” She met his gaze, a look crossing her face he’d never seen before. She was nervous, maybe. Her cheeks turned pink.
“I love you,” she said.
He blinked. His heart hammered in his chest, still expecting the worst. “What?”
“I love you,” she said again, like he actually hadn’t heard. “Of course I want to marry you. Again.”
A smile spread across his face and she laughed, still blushing.
“Is there a ‘but’?” he asked.
“No. I want to marry you. I don’t think the Ruined will object, but frankly, I don’t care if they do.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You don’t?”
“No. I’ve sacrificed plenty for them. I don’t need to give you up too.” Her smile faded a bit, the way it did when she was about to mention her sister. “I told Olivia I would, but it was a lie. I never would have given you up, Cas.”
He was trying not to grin, but he was so happy he thought he might burst out of his skin. “I want to marry you, too,” he said, even though she already knew.
“And do you think the Lerans will allow it?”
“I don’t care.”
“I’ll be an unpopular queen. I’m used to people looking down on me, hating me. Some Lerans will never accept me, and they’ll hate you, too. Are you all right with that?”
“Yes.” He said it with absolute confidence.
“When we start negotiations we’ll need to make it clear that you get to choose who you marry, even if we strip the monarchy of some of its power. We can’t give anyone approval or veto power over your marriage. For your sake and for the sake of your”—her lips twitched up—“our—children.”
He leaned forward, reaching for her. She slipped her hand into his and let him tug her closer, scooting across the floor and settling down in his lap with one knee on either side of his thighs. He tilted his head up and kissed her briefly.
“They would be fools to say no,” she said. She looped her arms around his neck. “Our children will be Ruined. Every other kingdom will be terrified of Leran royalty, even if we have a limited role in government. August made that clear last night. Tell them that.”
He laughed as she leaned down to kiss him again. “They’ll like that, actually.”
“I know they will.”
He pressed his lips to hers again, tightening the arm around her waist. All of this was assuming that Olivia didn’t kill them all, or August didn’t launch a successful attack and take the country from Cas again. He knew they weren’t anywhere close to out of danger yet, but he let himself pretend for a moment, as he kissed Em.
She pulled back just a little and rested her forehead against his. Her fingers were in his hair, gently gripping the too-long strands. He was overdue for a haircut, but he might leave it long if she was going to grab it like that.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That I didn’t tell you I loved you before, that I didn’t believe we could do this the way you did. It’s not that I didn’t love you, I was just scared.”
“I know,” he said, even though he was practically still vibrating with relief from her confession. She didn’t need to know that a tiny part of him hadn’t been sure that she loved him the way he loved her.
She kissed him like he’d been totally insane to doubt her. Her fingers were still in his hair and his hands found their way to her thighs. If he and Em had been somewhere more private, he probably would have started tearing her clothes off. He would have pushed her back on the pillows and finished what they started weeks ago in Vallos.
But he heard the murmured voices of the guards outside and pulled back, letting his lips linger on hers for a moment longer.
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he asked. “The staff has reluctantly agreed to let me make my own meals in the small kitchen off the private dining room.”
“You’re going to cook the dinner?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Don’t look so skeptical. I’ve gotten pretty good.”
Her smile suggested she knew what he had in mind for after dinner. “I’d love to.”
THIRTY-FOUR
AFTER THE WARRIORS did a sweep of the street, Aren ushered everyone out of the house. He could still feel the humans in the prison from the house, and he was eager to get as far away as possible.
He carried Iria on his back as they made their way down the street. Galo took over when Aren started to get tired, and he could tell Iria was frustrated with having to be carried—she mentioned several times that she could walk, but her pain was apparent every time her feet hit the ground.
Aren was curious about the full extent of her injury, but she wasn’t forthcoming with details and he didn’t want to pry. At least she could walk, if she had to. They could worry about the details later.
Warriors spread out through the streets of the city, and Galo suggested they stay not far behind one group as they made their way out. It was easy to stay away from any humans as they ventured farther out of town, since Aren could easily feel them coming.
Bethania had tied up the two stolen horses in trees near the tracks that led back to the border. Iria slid off Galo’s back as they approached them.
“I have to leave you here,” Bethania said. “I should get home before someone shows up at my door with questions.”
Iria walked to Bethania and pulled her into a hug.
“You could come with us?” Iria said it as a question, her face in Bethania’s shoulder, and Aren could barely hear the words.
“I know. They offered.” Bethania pressed a kiss to Iria’s cheek and pulled away. “But this is still my home.”
Iria swept a hand across her eyes, but her body was angled away from Aren, so he couldn’t see her tears. He had the same feeling he’d had at the house—that Iria was more upset than she was letting on, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Bethania said good-bye to Galo, then smiled at him. “It was nice to meet you, Aren. You better get her to Lera safely.”
“I will.”
Bethania hugged Iria again, briefly, then quickly turned away. She didn’t look back as she jogged down the road.
Aren let Iria watch for a moment, then quietly said, “Ride with me?”
Iria nodded, swallowing hard as she turned around. He mounted the horse first, then extended his hand to her. Galo helped lift Iria onto the horse, and she settled in behind Aren.
“I’m really tired,” she said softly. “I might fall asleep.”
“Go ahead. I’ll wake you up if there’s a problem.”
“You’re headed to the south section of the border, right? Bethania told you about the abandoned posts?”
“She told us.”
Her arms slid around his waist, and he felt her cheek against his shoulder a moment later. “Wake me up if you need help navigating.”
He laid his hands on top of hers for a moment. “I will.”