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“Your queen?” Rissa echoed.

Rydekar rolled his eyes, leading the way.

To her surprise, he was heading to the tower, rather than the throne hall.

“Aren’t we holding court?”

Rydekar hesitated. “We could, but it would be respectful to spend the rest of the night in mourning.”

She wasn’t about to be told twice. Rissa rushed up the stairs eagerly. She’d barely had a moment to herself for days.

“In a hurry?” Rye seemed amused.

“I have a bathing pool waiting for me.”

“Care for some company?”

She glanced over her shoulders. “I don’t see why not.”

Back in her room, she entered her pool without bothering to remove her silk dress. Rissa sighed in delight when warmth engulfed her.

After swimming from one side to the next, she rested her back against an end of the pool.

“I thought you were joining me?” she asked.

Rydekar had remained at the door, leaning against the frame.

“I’m trying.”

She frowned up at him, confused and perhaps a little hurt. He had to force himself to walk into her room?

“Well, get in or out. I don’t like keeping doors open.”

After a moment of hesitation, he stepped inside, and kicked the door closed behind him, but he wasn’t approaching her either.

“Are you going to stare at me forever, or spill what’s on your mind?”

“Both, in all likelihood.” He stuffed his hand in his pocket. “I failed you.”

Rissa blinked. “Sorry?”

“At the end, I failed you.” He shook his head in self-disgust. “Though I failed you long before. I shouldn’t have let you go north. I should have insisted you remain here and—”

“And I would have done what I pleased either way,” Rissa interrupted. “I’m not your subject, Rye.”

“No, but you’remineto protect.” The way he insisted on the word "mine" was telling. He knew. He knew he was her mate.

She closed her eyes. “If you’d kept me here, you would have had to keep me captive. I would have resented it, and you. I wouldn’t have understood a thing. Titus raised me as well as he knew how, but I was isolated and naïve. I knew little of Denarhelm. I still do. I needed to travel, see and understand things myself.” There was more. “I needed to learn to believe in myself. And I couldn’t have done that if you’d cut my wings. You were exactly what I needed: an ideal to strive toward.” He was in control, calm, organized and responsible—everything that a seelie queen ought to be.

“Some ideal. I passed out.Tharsenbanished the sea queen, not I.”

So that was his true problem. Rissa rolled her eyes. “I passed out too. Tharsen helped metoo. And he wouldn’t have been here to do so had you not come to find me in my woods, and supported my choice to go wake him up.” He might have been grumpy about it, but he’d still supported her.

“Listen to me, Rydekar Bane. You haven’t failed me. Not once.”

He nodded.

“Say it. I want to hear the words.”