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“Corrick.”

“He can want to do what’s right for Ostriary, Tessa—whilealsoknowing that earning your trust is a way to manipulate me.”

I clamp my mouth shut. I hate that all of this feels so calculated.

“I need you to realize that your life is bigger than you think,” Corrick says. “I need you to realize that you are important to me, and to my brother, and to all of Kandala. Do you think just anyonecould have snuck into the palace and convinced Harristan to try a new dosage? Tessa, when those men took us prisoner, I spent much of that walk thinking of every terrible thing I could do to them, just for causing you pain, because I know how much you’ve risked. How much you’vewantedfor the people of Kandala. Sometimes I look at Lochlan, and I remember, and I want to—”

My breath catches, my heart thumping in my chest, and he breaks off.

“Well.” Corrick raises a rueful eyebrow. “My point is that I did none of it. You found a way to forgive them, and so I found a way to forgive them.” He pauses, and his voice grows grave. “You said I see everyone as an adversary. But since the moment my parents died, that’s all I’ve had. Adversaries. I’ve had to fight to hold Kandala together. I’ve had to fight to keep my brother safe. And now, if I have to, I’ll fight to hold on to you.”

I swallow and lift a hand to cover his, holding his bandaged palm to my cheek.

He brushes a thumb along my cheekbone. “If you’d allow me, I would say all that and more once we return to the Royal Sector. I would officially declare our courtship before the king. But only if you want the same, Tessa.”

His eyes are so honest, dark blue in the dim candlelight. This reminds me of the moment we kissed in the workshop, the first time I saw him as Wes and Corrick all rolled into one man. It reminds me of the way I was sitting on the deck, and he brought me food, even though we were at odds. It reminds me of our first carriage ride together, when I was terrified of him, and he offered me a pouch full of silver and a dagger from his belt, and he told me how to find freedom.

Impulsively, I reach forward and put my arms around his neck again.

This time he catches me for real, his hands secure against my back. He smells so warm, so familiar. I press my face into his neck.

I missed you, I think.

Because I did.

I blink, and the world goes blurry. Tears sit on my lashes.

Corrick must feel the shift in my emotions, because he draws back. Hetsksunder his breath, then touches a thumb to my cheek, brushing a tear away.

“Do you still hate me?” he says softly.

“No,” I whisper, like it’s a secret. “I love you.”

He leans closer. “What’s that?” he teases. “I can’t hear you.”

“I said you’re a huge pain in my—”

I break off with a squeal when he kisses me, then melt into his hands when he pulls me close.

“Will you stay here with me?” he says quietly, and I freeze. Before I can say anything else, he adds, “Things are so precarious with Captain Blakemore. If something were to happen, I don’t want the guards to have to split their attention.”

The room is so quiet, and so warm, and the boat rocks beneath us. He might be right to worry, and he might not.

But tonight, we’re alone, darkness pressing against the window.

Tonight, like before, it’s the two of us against the night.

“Will you?” he says, his thumb stroking over my lip.

I stare into his blue eyes and nod. “Yes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Tessa

Eventually, we have to sleep, and I don’t really knowwhenhe drags me to the bed, just that we’re somehowthere.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he says. “I want to hear if anyone gives the guards trouble.”