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It was almost laughable that King Ryenil would enforce the mourning period and its required abstinence at the same time he considered Ber’s future marriage candidates. But then, the king hadn’t honored his own wedding vows when his queen had still been alive.

“I didn’t have a woman here voluntarily,” Ber said, gesturing toward the blood staining his shirt. “An assassin caught me by surprise. I nearly had her contained, but because of your distraction, she was able to teleport away.”

“An assassin?” the man asked uncertainly.

“You must have heard her scream when I slammed her against the wall.” Giving his most regal glare, Ber let the silencestretch out for one charged moment. “Were you accomplices, then? Or are the warriors stationed here so inept?”

All three guards paled, but the leader rallied quickly. “Of course not, Your Highness. But I…I was ordered to escort you to the king. That’s all. I meant no disrespect.”

“I understand,” Ber replied, feigning a conciliatory smile. With his point made, there would be no purpose in antagonizing the man. “I’m sure it’s easy to misunderstand a woman’s scream, but I assure you there was nothing sordid happening on my part. I would not betray my wife by bedding another.”

Turning the truth into an apparent lie was too familiar a habit. For the diligent passerby who’d reported Tes’s cry had indeed reached the proper conclusion—he’d been having sex. They simply didn’t know that the woman Ber had been fuckingwashis wife. Better for them to question their memories of the type of scream they’d heard than to reveal that Tes was still alive.

“Forgive my impertinence, Highness,” the lead guard said, bowing.

“If you’ll escort me to the king, I would be most grateful.” Already anticipating an affirmative response, Ber strode to the door. “Added protection could only be a boon with an assassin on the loose.”

What else could he do but brazen it out?

Tes had refused to cooperate with the plan he’d so carefully built these last several months. If she had slit his throat as she should have, the guards could have lauded the return of the Jewel of Centoi. She would have been supported as the adored princess who’d been wronged by her own husband. Though Ryenil hated her for not being born of his beloved mistress, he wouldn’t have harmed her with no other heir in sight. She would have been safe.

Instead, Ber’s hot-blooded wife had fled without killing him. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Just before she’d activated thespell, he’d seen comprehension in her eyes. She might not have accepted the truth of his innocence yet, but she’d already started to puzzle it out. As soon as she read what was in that book he’d so hastily given her, she would see his attempted sacrifice.

He had to keep the king appeased at all costs. Tes would return for Ber once more, but next time, it wouldn’t be with murder in mind. She would have a plan—probably multiple—and then there would be no stopping her. It was bad enough that the palace would be on alert for a supposed assassin now. If Ryenil grew suspicious of Ber, the scrutiny would be unending.

He held in a sigh. Another day, another performance.

Chapter 10

Questions

Before Tes could regain the strength in her legs, the door burst open, Mehl barely managing to precede Toren through. Tes grimaced at the sight she must make—a blood-splattered, dust-covered heap. It was clearly stark enough for Mehl to stumble to a halt, preventing Toren’s forward motion with an outstretched arm.

“Tes?” Mehl blurted. “How…?”

“Oh, Gods, she did it,” Toren whispered, the pain in his words carrying across the space. “But I didn’t feel his death. Shouldn’t I have known?”

She stood up, hastily tucking the knife behind her back at Toren’s shattered glance. “He’s not dead, no thanks to him.”

Mehl lifted a brow. “No thanks to him? Tes, you have blood all over you. Your hand is caked in it. And how did you manage to appear in Ber’s room?”

It took all her willpower not to pull her hand back out to examine it. “He had a transportation artifact.”

Though Mehl merely rubbed at his temples, Toren’s eyes narrowed at her words. “Impossible. In all these centuries, I have never known him to use or even commission such a thing.He would have needed a mage, since he doesn’t have enough magic to create such an item himself.”

Tes lowered the book she held to her chest so that Toren could see the ring on her thumb. “Does this look familiar?”

The High King ducked around his husband’s arm, earning himself a harsh growl, and strode closer. He only had to look at the ring for a moment before he let out a curse. “I can’t remember a time he hasn’t worn that. Is that the artifact, then? What’s going on?”

It was a good question—one she didn’t have the full answer to. One she was too tired and worn to contemplate, in truth. She was achy, dirty, and sticky—even between her thighs. Maybe especially there.

Best not to consider that.

“I’ll tell you the full story once I’ve cleaned off,” Tes replied. “Suffice it to say that Ber wanted me to kill him. Tried to force the matter, in fact. I’m sure he’s angry that I didn’t yield to him. Inthat, at least.”

Unfortunately, she was fairly sure that letting him fuck her against a wall counted as yielding.

Something of that poor decision must have shown on her face, because Toren trailed his gaze down her stained, crumpled dress, and his brows shot up. “I…see there is a great deal more to this tale.”