Page 115 of A Hunt Bound in Blood
As I rose, I pulled the chain over my head and offered it to him. He accepted the amulet with an expression of mild skepticism, then held it up to the wall sconce. The flickering gaslight played across the gems set into the middle of the heavy gold, bringing them to life.
“All this effort for some gaudy piece of junk,” he muttered before handing it to Istan. “It better work. The future of the country rests on the word of a long-dead mage.”
A mad, long-dead mage, I thought but didn’t say aloud.
Istan began the preparations, while King Evaniel kicked his head towards the door, gesturing for me to follow him into the corridor. I was surprised he didn’t want to be involved in the process of waking his betrothed, even if just to make sure the amulet didn’t harm more than it helped, but I didn’t question him.
“You did well, Mage Dolan,” he said once the door closed behind us. “I appreciate the swiftness of your return.”
“It was my pleasure and my duty, Your Majesty,” I said. “I must also thank you for suggesting that Cammon accompany me. I confess I had my reservations at the start, but he proved himself worthy of the reputation he’s built here.”
“I’m sure he did.” His tone was dismissive, as though he didn’t care in the slightest how capable the people he’d sent on the mission were. All that mattered were the results. “I believe there was some agreement that the position of royal researcher was due to come out of this. Unfortunately, I don’t have the paperwork drawn up yet, my priorities having been focused on the threat of war, but I’m sure—”
“Excuse me, Your Majesty, but don’t trouble yourself about the position.”
I should have been furious that he’d so clearly forgotten our agreement after everything I’d endured to hold up my end. I should have been mortified by the idea of interrupting my king midsentence. I was neither.
The faint flash in his dark grey eyes revealed his surprise, but he said nothing, giving me room to explain. Or maybe some rope to hang myself with.
“I’m no longer seeking employment in the royal palace,” I said. “In fact, I wish to tender my resignation from the mages’ council.”
His sable eyebrow rose. “Excuse me? I believe I must have misheard you.”
The Glory of a month ago would have flushed and shied away, but today, I met him with respectful confidence. “I gave you my oath, Your Majesty, and I mean to uphold it. If ever Golthwaine requires my service, I will provide it. But we’re both aware how little I add to the daily operations of the advisory council, and with the nature of my magic being what it is, I’m not much use in minor national security either.”
A laugh bubbled inside me, and I swallowed it. The fact was I ran counter to national security. I was a vampire working for the king. The urge to tell him was so strong that the words balanced precariously on my tongue. Why not tell him? The odds were good he already knew. With the reach he had and the knowledge his spymaster held about every other facet of my life, there was no way he didn’t know. And maybe that knowledge would destroy me, but I was willing to pretend it wouldn’t. Especially if Cammon accepted me as his official mate. If Golthwaine didn’t want us, we could leave. Doors were no longer closed to me. I was no longer caged.
The king’s eyes narrowed as he took me in, but after a long, drawn-out pause, he nodded. “Very well. I accept your resignation.” His stare hardened. “But do take care, Mage Dolan.”
The undercurrent of threat wasn’t lost on me, confirming my suspicions that all these years we’d both been hiding secrets, but I only curtsied again in response. He had nothing to worry about. I was a free woman coming into my own.
Even if Cammon rejected me, even if he turned me away at the door and told me he was returning to Karhasan, I would make do. The events of the past few weeks had made the thought of returning to my cage untenable, and I was ready to stretch my wings. Metaphorical, as they were. Literal, if they came with the rest of my bonded mate.
Another giggle rose up, and this time I allowed myself to smile as I wished the king good luck with his betrothed and watched him disappear into Princess Brynna’s room to see how she fared.
Curiosity bade me stay and learn whether or not the amulet had served its purpose, and although a greater call pulled me towards Cammon, I paced the corridor and waited.
Through the bond, I sensed a thread of frustration, of disappointment, a small burst of elation. I wondered at the evolution of his emotions and hoped I’d get a chance to ask him about them. Unless he was already gone by the time I left. I wouldn’t hold it against him for wanting to fly to Karhasan immediately once he got the information he’d waited a decade to claim. Hard-won proof of his innocence. His invitation back into the courtly life of his homeland.
My heart clenched at the idea, but I wished him well. He’d more than earned it.
The sun had dropped below the high windows by the time the door opened, and I pressed my back against the wall when King Evaniel walked out. He kept his attention straight ahead, his expression displeased. My heart pattered with concern, but he paid me no mind—not even noticing that I was still there as he moved like a storm down the corridor. The shadows tucked into the corners stirred with his every movement.
The door remained open behind him, and Healer Istan emerged looking exhausted and dazed but not defeated.
“Did it work?” I asked.
The healer blinked at me, obviously not having expected me to stick around. As if I would be anywhere else after I’d spent so many years researching this amulet. I needed to know if Tersey had played us for fools.
“It did… to a point,” Istan said. “There are signs the curse holds, but she’s awake and, physically, completely healed, but…” She looked around as though to make sure no one else was within hearing range. “Her memory’s gone. It’ll be a tricky thing to bring this marriage around if she doesn’t recall her purpose or even the king’s name. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
She returned to the sickroom, and I stared after her, more curious than ever but also accepting it wasn’t my place to pry. I was no longer a mage advisor to the crown. I was… nothing.
That budding laugh finally made its way out of me as I headed down the stairs and out the side door into the courtyard. For all his madness, for all his homicidal tendencies, Tersey’s word had been true. He’d created an enchantment that could bring someone back from the brink of death, and in finding it, Cammon and I had saved the country from war with the fae.
It wasn’t a small matter, but in the burgeoning twilight, I found I didn’t care. For Princess Brynna’s sake, I was relieved, but what I wanted more than anything—more than talk of war or knowing the king’s intentions now that his betrothed didn’t remember him—was to speak with Cammon. If the possibility still existed.
Nervousness wormed its way into my stomach, and I pulled the collar of my borrowed shirt closer around my neck to fend off the brisk evening chill. The king’s carriage remained in the courtyard, and as I passed it, the driver hailed me.