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Rhistel, on the other hand, appeared to have sobered. His dark brown eyes glowered at me, and, in my twin’s hand, he held a phoenix feather quill. On a table was a piece of parchment, glistening with ink in the candlelight.

When he noticed I eyed the parchment, Rhistel turned the page over. “What are you doing here, Vale? Thought you’d be with that wife of yours, acting like the beast you are.”

My feet moved before my mind caught up, and I was across the room in a second, shoving Rhistel against awall, pinning him down by the shoulders. He growled and snarled back.

“Enough!” Father bellowed. “Vale, step away from him!”

But I couldn’t. Wouldn’t. I suspected that even if I’d wanted to, I could not force myself to release my brother.

Beneath my hold, Rhistel jerked, trying to free himself. Unfortunately for him, Rhistel knew much of manipulation but little of physical strength. He would not be moving until I’d said my piece.

“Release him, or I’ll send for your wife right now.”

Rhistel’s lips curled up. “Please do, Father. I’m dying to see those luscious curves again. Perhaps touch?—”

I took him by the chin and wrenched his head to the side. “You will not speak of her. Or think of her. Youwillstay away from her, and I’ll do my best to forget what you did in the solarium.”

My twin snarled. “Have the dead gods risen or does she already have your balls in a vise, Vale? Big brute that you are, felled by that whore?”

I lifted my fist.

“Vale! Enough!” Father bellowed behind me. At his tone, the door opened.

“Majesty?” Lars’s eyes landed on me and narrowed.

Bleeding skies.What was I doing? Defending Neve was important, but had I followed through with my plan—spoken with my father and not Rhistel—I could have avoided this. Rhistel might be the heir, but even he had to listen to the king.

“Outside, Sir Lars,” Father growled. The door snickedclosed, and the king stood next to us, his ice-blue eyes burning with fury. “Vale, release Rhistel.”

“Not until he promises.” The words rumbled out of me, nonsensical, given my situation. “I will not have my wife harmed by his magic.”

Father’s eyes narrowed and shifted to his heir. “As much as I despise the female, you will adhere to the rules your mother and I have put in place, Rhistel. The consequences are too dire.”

Despise the female? That was laughable. Under other circumstances, Father would havelovedhaving Neve around him. In his bed. In his harem. No matter if he had bargained her hand to another, a jarl most likely, I was certain he would have tried to take advantage of her before she wed. Perhaps after too.

But she’d defied him, and the king wanted revenge.

He hated her as much as he wanted her. Only the fact that she was married to me, and I was not only his son, but physically a match for my father, gave him pause.

Had I possessed the king’s same prowess with magic, he wouldn’t dare look at her.

My twin still hadn’t spoken, and Father’s ice-blue gaze hardened. “I believe that Vale very much means every word he is saying, Rhistel, and it will look quite bad for the family—for you—if the spare beats the heir to a pulp.”

Rhistel’s eyes darkened. He hated being reminded that he, with his birthright and powerful magic, could still be bloodied. All I needed to do was catch him unawares.

“You will not touch her.” I reiterated, my nose a hairsbreadth from his. “Nor speak with her. You will ceasecalling her names. And you will not use your magic on her. If you do not agree, I won’t justbeat you to a pulp. I will tell the entire kingdom what you can do.”

For the first time, fear flashed in my brother’s eyes. The threat of being beaten was bad enough, but for the kingdom, likely all of Isila, to hear of his magic? It would be disastrous. Perhaps even sparking another revolution.

He held magic that would allow no other kingdom to trust us. Or, in the case of some, trust us even less than they already did. By the law of Isila, Father and Mother should have killed Rhistel the moment his proclivity to such forbidden magic arose.

Instead, they’d made me promise to never speak of Rhistel’s magic, not even to Saga. And they forced the heir to wear ice spider silk gloves. The material was so powerful, it prevented Rhistel from using the taboo magic coursing through him, for unlike his winter magic, his outlawed power required touch.

“You’d be cast out.” Rhistel snarled. “Our family would never forgive you. Not even Saga.”

He had a point, though he should have known it wouldn’t sway me. Even the loss of my sister’s love, which would hit me the hardest. I’d never threaten something so dire if I didn’t mean it.

“You have one choice.” I pressed him harder into the wall.