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Fast as a snake, he twisted away from the human he’d been flirting with and found me. Emerald green eyes became as round as saucers, but Roar recovered, and his lips curled up in an oily smile.

“Neve. You escaped Avaldenn, I see.”

“E—escaped? Does that mean you’ve heard about what’s been happening in the city?”

“Not since I left, but Prince Gervais was after you. It’s why I had to leave. He threatened me.”

I believed that. Prince Gervais had called Roar duplicitous, and he certainly had not wanted me under the lord’s protection.

“Threatened to tell the king of your illegal endeavors too, I take it?” Vale stepped out of the tunnel behind me and from the corner of my eye, I saw Caelo waiting, sword in hand. Anna and the miner remained a few steps away from the opening of the tunnel. Out of Roar’s line of sight. On Caelo’s suggestion, no doubt.

“Vale.” Roar’s false pleasantness faded. “Why are you here?”

“I wouldn’t let my wife travel west without me.”

“Oh, right. Your wife.” Roar drawled as if he didn’t care at all. I suspected it was all one great farce.

“What are you doing with those humans?” I wanted to see if he’d admit it. Or if he’d talk in circles.

“Don’t play stupid, Neve. You’re too intelligent for such things.”

No games then. Good. We were so far beyond them.

“How could you?” I stalked forward, frost forming at my fingertips.

Roar caught the magic, his eyebrow raising practically to his hairline. “Your potion wore off.”

One guard pulled a sword and ushered the human females to huddle behind Roar, as if I were the dangerous one. As if I were the one who wanted to hurt them.

“Surprised at what power I wield?” I flicked my fingers above. Snow fluttered down, earning me a fewooohsandahhsfrom the human women. Roar, however, smirked.

“You’ve known who I was since the moment Frode dropped me on the ground in your throne room and you saw my scar, didn’t you? You knew I was one of the Falk twins?”

For a moment, Roar didn’t answer, but it was all the response I needed. He’d known.

“Don’t try to twist the truth,” I pressed. “I found Brogan's last note. In it, he spoke of a baby with a crescent scar, right where mine is.”

This close, I caught the flicker of surprise ripple across his face before he hid it. The male was a master at hiding things.

“He spoke of something else too, Roar. An item long lost. One you told me about. One that might change the fate of this kingdom. Do you know where it is?”

“Brogan,” Roar’s voice resonated both with longing and annoyance. “The golden child. The heir. My brother—and a pain in my arse. To this day, it seems.” He shook his head. “And of course I don’t have it. My brother probably attracted attention on the road, bandying about the Scepter, and they were all killed for it.”

For the first time, I got the sense that Roar blamed his brother for many of his woes.

“It’s not your brother’s fault all your family’s secrets came to light. You shouldn’t have loaned me the book.”

“It seemed an easy enough ploy. Give a female who loves to read a library, give her all that she ever wanted, and a purpose. Tell her you need her, and most would fall in an instant.”

“Fall?”

“In love. I wished for you to love me.”

“We had a contract binding a false engagement, but you were really trying to force me into loving you!?”

“And I failed.” Roar’s green eyes narrowed. “You had to fall for the prince, the stupidest Aaberg.”

My blood thrummed. “Don’t speak about Vale that way.”