Hotbloods 5: Traitors

Navan shook his head, trying to look away from me. “What, so you want me to marry her?”

I kissed him desperately. “No, of course I don’t! But how can I stand in the way, staking a selfish claim to you, knowing what that will mean for her?” I sobbed. “I can’t bear to see a woman like that, who has helped us again and again, and has such hopes for the future of this nation, fall prey to a monster like Aurelius. I won’t be part of her misery.”

“Our love isn’t selfish, Riley. Don’t ever call it that,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. I could see tears in his eyes.

It reminded me of a passage that people loved to read out at weddings. It was the one that said, in essence, “love is always patient and kind.” It said something about love never being selfish, either.

“If you married Seraphina, would it protect her from Aurelius—even if you were labeled a defector, later on?” I pressed. “It wouldn’t nullify anything?”

“No, it would still be legally binding. Seraphina would only be able to remarry a year after my death, but proof of death would be required before that timeline could be set in motion.” He paused for a moment, taking a heavy breath. “Those are the laws of Vysanthe. The only way out of a marriage is death. Divorce is illegal here.”

“If Seraphina is your wife, then she’ll be safe?”

He winced at the word “wife.” “Although extramarital affairs do happen, it’s illegal to solicit another man’s wife, or another woman’s husband. Most of the time, when these things get discovered, they get kicked out of court as misdemeanors, but it depends on the petition being made. If Aurelius approached Seraphina in a way she didn’t like, she could request a series of more severe punishments.”

“How did Aurelius even get considered in the first place, as an alternative to you?” It was a question that had been bugging me for a while. “If you were MIA, why didn’t they just pick another one of your brothers? You’ve got enough to choose from.”

A hint of a smile played upon his lips. “It’s considered improper to choose another member of the same family if something happens to the first betrothal option,” he explained. “With me gone, and no sign of me coming back, that left the field wide open. In Vysanthean law, the parents of the betrothed—in this case, Seraphina—have to go in front of the queen to request an alternative should option one never return, or break off the engagement entirely. I imagine Aurelius seized the opportunity to swoop in, and Seraphina’s parents had no choice but to accept him as a second choice. I guess they hoped I would come back, before their daughter was forced to wed a creep like Aurelius. Nobody refuses the engagement of the queen’s advisor, so that would’ve been their only chance of not ending up with Aurelius as a son-in-law.” He sighed bitterly. “Saying that, if he hadn’t swooped in, they probably would’ve broken off the engagement altogether, and none of this would have happened.”

I looped my arms around his neck and sank into his embrace, sensing he was coming around to the eventuality of his impending marriage. Seraphina was his friend, and no matter how much he loved me, I knew he wasn’t the kind of guy who could let something that awful happen to anyone. I was just going to have to savor every moment I could with him before the wedding day came. Besides, as soon as it was done with, he’d be mine again.

“Look, it’s a stupid piece of paper, nothing more. It means Seraphina will be safe, and it won’t change anything between us,” I promised.

“Once you’re married, you’re bound to that person for life,” Navan whispered.

“But we can still do everything we planned to do. Seraphina already said she wouldn’t leave Vysanthe, but you and I can still leave here together, seeking out allies to make the universe safe again.”

He flashed me a nervous smile. “So there’s a light at the end of the tunnel?”

“Of course there is.” I grinned, kissing him hard on the mouth.

“Anything else I should know?” he asked, pulling away slightly.

I pulled an apologetic face. “You have to go to Gianne as soon as possible and receive her marriage blessing. She’ll pardon you at the same time, I imagine,” I said, nuzzling his neck to soften the blow. “She also said she’s going to force you to work in her alchemy lab, to help develop the immortality elixir alongside your father. Now that he’s the only one with the knowledge, I imagine he’ll be throwing his weight around.”

He grinned. “We’ll be long gone before she can force me to do anything. As long as we make sure nobody lays any blame on Seraphina, everything will work out just fine.”

I nodded. “We can always wait a little while, until you get your first ‘conjugal’ visit with her—though there better not be any funny business!” I teased, jabbing him playfully in the ribs. “We can break you out while you’re traveling between the alchemy lab and wherever your marital home might be. That way, nobody can blame her for anything. She won’t know anything about it, and when the soldiers guarding you get questioned about what happened, they’ll say you got stolen away by masked thugs.” I chuckled at the thought. “Gianne will think somebody took you because of what you know about the elixir; they won’t suspect Seraphina one bit.”

Navan picked me up and spun me around. “Just when I thought I couldn’t admire you any more, you go and surprise me with your genius mind. You’re one hell of a woman, Riley, and I feel so lucky that I get to spend my life loving you.”

“I love you, Navan,” I murmured, kissing him all over his face. “And just because you marry someone else, it doesn’t mean I’ll love you any less.”

He held my face and looked me in the eyes. “The same goes for me.”

“So, does that mean…?”

An uncertain silence drifted between us as we gazed into each other’s eyes. I knew how hard this was going to be, but it was like tearing off a Band-Aid. One little wedding, and it would all be over. We could get back to being us again, without all of this looming over our heads. After all, in the grand scheme of things, this was minuscule—we had an army to recruit, and all we had to show for it was a chunk of opaleine in my pocket, containing Cambien’s promise, and the dubious word of a shifter.

“I’ll marry her,” Navan agreed, at last. I’d never seen him so disheartened.

“Should we get in touch with her now?”

He shook his head, gripping my waist. “Tomorrow,” he murmured, kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around him, drinking in every part of him, relishing the sensation of his hands exploring my body. Had it not been for the bitter bite of the Vysanthean climate, seeping into my bones through the blanket, I would have dragged him to the deepest part of the woodland and made love to him there and then.

“Let’s head back,” I whispered in his ear. “I’m freezing.”

He smiled. “Let’s see if we can warm you up.”

Picking me up in his arms, he carried me all the way around the lake. We reached Kaido’s ship, which was parked in front of Sarrask’s cottage, and snuck into the cargo hold. It was warm, and there were blankets stowed away to one side. Navan unfolded them and made a little nest on the floor, where we could lie together, safe in each other’s arms.

“What’s the matter with your ship?” I teased.