“Like what?”
“Like . . .” He tears his hands through his hair, clearly realizing this is a make-or-break answer. “You’re confident. And smart. And beautiful. And you have to know that I trust you more than anyone. You’re the only girl who has ever—seriously ever—mattered to me. I loved you even when I thought you were imaginary. Even when you were throwing bugs at my head and dragging me out of bed at five a.m. for training. I waited for you when you left me with only three words and a dusty jacket—and when you broke our bond, I kept holding on anyway. I’ve never had even the slightest doubt that you’re the one I want—and I don’t give a crap if anyone disagrees. So please don’t let this stupid, unimportant detail make you question any of that.”
It’s another really great speech.
My heart begs me to believe it.
But . . .
I take a deep, slow breath.
“Then why did you turn away?” I whisper. “When I tried to . . .”
I can’t say it.
He reaches for my chin, tilting my face to look at him.
“That wasn’t what I wanted to do. But I was trying to do the right thing. You’d been a prisoner for days. And Gus had just died. And . . . I wanted to make sure . . .” He looks away. “I didn’t want to be something you regretted a few hours or days or months later. I owed you a chance to really figure out what you wanted.”
“You’re sure you didn’t also want some time to figure out what you want?” I have to ask.
The only thing I’ve ever had to offer Vane is my protection. And now the sky has rejected me as his guardian, and handed my job over to the same girl the Gales chose for him.
Vane takes a step closer. “I know what I want, Audra. It’s you. Only you.”
“He’s not lying,” another voice says behind me.
I cringe.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Solana says as she joins us. “But I figured, since this is kind of about me, I should probably be a part of it—a quick part,” she adds, holding out her hands to calm Vane. “There’s really only one thing I want to say. Well, I suppose it’s several things, but it all relates to the same theme.”
“I thought this was going to be quick,” Vane grumbles.
“It is,” Solana says, scooting closer to me. She waits for me to look at her before she says, “The thing is . . . I want what you have.”
Vane groans. “Somebody please kill me now.”
“Oh, relax,” Solana tells him. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
She bites her lip, and a bit of her confidence slips as she tells me, “I know you think I’ve been making some sort of sneaky play for him all this time—and I guess I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments when I was—”
“I knew it,” Vane mutters.
“You’re not helping yourself,” she warns him. “But yeah, I’ll admit, part of me wanted to know if I could change his mind—and I figured I had a right to try, since he was betrothed to me first. So I wore my favorite dresses. I tried to give him a chance to get to know me. And none of it mattered—which is what I mean about wanting what you have. I want someone who looks at me the way I see him look at you. And while I’m at it, I want someone who treats other girls the way he treated me: always polite—well, mostly—but also always so careful to stop himself from crossing even the tiniest of lines. It was frustrating when I was trying to get his attention. But in a weird, backward way, it showed me what I’m missing. So before I face this final battle, maybe it’s time we settle things.”
She turns back to Vane, giving him a sad smile as she holds out her wrist and unclasps the wide golden band of their link.
Someone gasps and I realize Os has moved close enough to eavesdrop.
“Not a word over there,” Solana tells him as she grabs Vane’s hand and drops the link onto his palm. “I’m not going to bond myself to a guy who’s hopelessly in love with someone else.”
“So you’re ready to walk away from your heritage?” Os asks her. “Ready to hand the crown over to her?”
“Assuming, of course, that Audra is still even interested in our king,” Aston says as he sidles up to join us.
Vane sighs. “Thanks, dude. And you know what? Let’s talk about that for a second. I was going to wait until everything with Raiden was actually settled. But assuming we survive”—his voice cracks on the last word—“I don’t want to come back to a mess of drama. If we beat Raiden today, you have to consider my plan.”
“And what exactly is that?” Os asks.