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“What?”

“It is,” he cleared his throat, “an age-old song you were just singing.” He lifted thePalenor Scrollfrom the bed beside him. “How have you been the last few days?” he asked conversationally. “I apologize for missing training, but we’ll get back to it, I promise.” She hadn’t seen him since he escorted her to her bedroom door after the attack. Layala eyed thePalenor Scrollin his hand. She’d avoided it as much as possible; it only upset her.

“Where have you been?” she didn’t want to say she was worried but a small part of her was. Maker above, how could that be possible?

“Miss me?”

“You know what, never mind. Leave, Hel. I don’t want to deal with you tonight. I want to relax.”

“Notice how there hasn’t been any pale one attacks lately? Perhaps I do have a heart after all.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but wanted to smile. He’d actually called them off.

He set his feet on the floor and started reading from the paper in a voice that sounded mocking, “Layala Lightbringer: The Bell of the Ball. Many of us watched the High King and his betrothed kiss and dance on the dais, the dream of many maidens in Palenor. To win the heart of our warrior king, who pledged himself to the Lady Lightbringer as a child, our strong, noble leader who—blah blah.” He held up his fingers with the smoking civar. “He whispered in her ear, held her close and if they missed a step, no one saw it. But that isn’t the true story of the night, is it?”

Layala took in a deep breathing waiting for the bad news.

“Who was the mysterious masked elf she danced with for two songs in a row among the many coupled dancers?” He mockingly gasped and smiled. “We don’t dare presume it could be the Black Mage inside our own Castle Dredwhich but who could it be?” He chuckled and looked up from the paper. “Two songs in a row, what a scandal.” He took a pull from his civar. “The obsession these people have with you is fascinating. They proclaim you are evil and wicked and to hate you but it’s clear they love you.”

“At least ‘the dead elf maiden in Layala Lightbringer’s arms’ wasn’t the headline,” Layala said. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“I mean, is it really unbelievable?” he drawled.

With a glare she snapped, “No, actually. Not at all.”

“Anyway, she wasn’t an elf,” Hel said and set thePalenor Scrollaside. He stood and flicked his civar into the air where it disappeared. “You didn’t see her rounded ears? Or notice the tattoo on her wrist? She was an outsider.”

Layala thought back to holding her but hadn’t noticed any of her features at all. “Was she human?”

“I didn’t look that long.”

“So, she could have just been an innocent human.”

“When do humans ever get invited to the High Elf King’s parties?”

Unless they were servants, never. And the maiden’s dress was much too fancy to be a servant, that much she remembered.

“The better question is why didn’tThanetell you she might have been an assassin? Oh, right because he’s afraid you might grow a soft spot for me.”

Layala rolled her eyes. “You don’t know if she was or not. You snapped her neck and threw her at me because you were pissed off.”

“Because you said you love Thane? I can see that you love him, and I know you have for a long time. It’s not a surprise. But I watched that girl watch you for nearly an hour. It wasn’t random.”

“So now you’re supposed to be my hero?”

“Hero?” His eyes darkened and he sauntered toward her, stopping inches away; the curl of his magic slid along her skin, catching her breath. It wasn’t dark and frightening but sensual as if it wanted to wrap around her and know every part of her being. “No, love, I’m certainly the villain. I’m everything from your darkest nightmare. I will do things that will break your heart. I will kill whoever I need to fucking kill, and if it’s a sweet innocent human by mistake, then it’s collateral damage, and I won’t give it a second thought.” He leaned in closer, his breath brushed against her ear. “The truth is you need me. If I had a heart like you and War, we’d be doomed to repeat this all over again and again and again. The Council of Gods has no mercy, and neither will I.”

He leaned in even closer and inhaled deeply, sliding his nose, lips along her neck. Her skin pebbled with the sensation of his light touch, and he slipped his arms around her waist. The most terrifying part of this scenario was she didn’t pull away and didn’t want to.

“There was another story. Did you see it?” His breath on her skin made her shudder.

“No,” Layala whispered, afraid to hear it.

“Telvian Botsberry found half-dead, unable to speak because his tongue was cut out, unable to write because his hands were cut off. I suppose he shouldn’t have been telling and writing lies about a certain someone. He won’t anymore.”

Her eyes widened. “You did that?”

“You’re still my wife, and I won’t allow it any longer.”