Page 79 of A Queen’s Betrayal (Legends of Worldbinders #1)

Kayson offered Arenna his hand as she walked down the platform stairs. Her skin was still warm, her heart still pounding. Most of the onlookers had returned to their business, but a few continued to stare, their eyes lingering.

“Better than I could have ever imagined,” he said.

She smiled. “It felt just as good.” Better than good.

Despite the horrors lurking behind the doors of her mind and the war that loomed on the horizon, Arenna felt good.

She was beginning to understand that, even though the world was in chaos, she was allowed a moment of peace—a moment of happiness, as long as she returned to business afterward.

“Thank you,” she said, “for making sure I didn’t burn down the place.” Though she hadn’t noticed the purple hue of Kayson’s ward, she had felt its protection all the same. Arenna looked up, puzzled by the king’s bright smile. “What?”

“You didn’t burn down the place because you had enough control not to.”

Arenna’s jaw clenched tightly. “You didn’t ward me?”

He shook his head.

Had there not been a room of Fae glancing their way, Arenna might have punched the king directly in the nose. “I could have killed them,” she seethed.

“No, you would not have.”

“You don’t know that,” she snapped, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You should have told me.”

Kayson smiled again, sending a wobble to her knees. “Then you would have worried about that rather than your performance.” He cradled her hand in his. “I knew you could do it, but you needed to know it too.”

“Do not do something like that again, Kayson,” Arenna grumbled.

“On my honor,” he said, placing a hand across his heart and smiling.

The king did not give her a chance to respond as he guided her toward an open set of doors leading to a large balcony overlooking the cliffs. She wanted to keep scolding him, but the feeling in her chest—the truth of his words—kept her silent.

Stars dotted the sky, twinkling under the full moon as they approached the railing. Arenna traced her hand along the stone, following its length until she stopped beside a thick pillar.

She planted herself in a spot with a perfect view of the ocean, watching the moonlight dance across the water’s surface.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Kayson said, stepping beside her. He took her hand, his thumb idly drawing circles on her palm. Swirls of red and orange flared in response, as if the element within her recognized the element within him.

It might have been the fire in her blood, but Arenna felt as though her very soul warmed at his touch. Only now did she realize just how much Kayson was doing for her.

Maybe he didn’t know either, but simply being near him and hearing his voice slowly knit her heart back together. They stayed there for a moment, neither saying a word, but Kayson did not release her. Arenna found herself watching the king, though his eyes remained fixed on her hand.

Familiarity tugged at her thoughts, recalling the first week they met when Kayson seemed taken aback by something only he could see etched into her palm. “I was remembering when you looked at my hand that first week we met. On the balcony, during the Ascendance celebration.”

Even in the darkness of night, where shadows surrounded them, she saw his tanned skin blanch. “I–I wasn’t expecting that,” he said, nervously. “But, at the time, I believed you to be someone else.”

Arenna’s brows knitted together in confusion. “Someone else? What do you mean?”

Kayson sighed heavily. “There’s a lot to unpack in that question, Arenna. And it’s not something I’m quite ready for.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Tonight is about you. Let’s focus on that.”

With a nod, Arenna returned the squeeze, granting him the privacy he clearly needed. “In that case, I was wondering why I received the reaction I did. After the performance.” Why you bowed .

Kayson’s body relaxed, his grip on her hand loosening slightly.

“In your flames, there were dragons and a look at what Pheanixios might have looked like. You showed the Draka. You showed what could be again,” he said in hushed tones.

“You gave our people hope, while paying respect to our fallen ancestors, and to the fallen Drakian civilization.”

Arenna blinked. “I didn’t mean to do any of that.”

“You didn’t have to try,” Kayson said. “Kenia’s fire magic is in your veins.

You are a part of the Draka through that element alone.

Traditions and customs set by the Draka people have been passed down through Fae families for generations.

One of those is their belief no one should rule over all.

They believed that the species were meant to work together—to co-exist and co-rule—each adding something unique to the melting pot that made up Pheanixios.

By kissing three fingers and placing them over their heart, they symbolized that unity of the three original species,” he explained in a low voice.

“Bowing represents submission to one another. And you, being a piece of what can be restored, are a symbol of that.”

They stared at each other for a long while, until Arenna couldn’t bear the knot of emotion tightening in her chest and throat for another second. “Thank you,” she said after a rapid heartbeat.

“You have nothing to thank me for.”

She closed her fingers around his hand. “I do, and for so much more than I realized.” You are saving me. Your friendship is piecing me back together, little by little . She wanted to say it. Her heart screamed it. But the need to heal, the need to love herself first, held her back.

Arenna hadn’t noticed how close they had grown, nearly sharing the same breath. Fae hurried past the doors leading to the balcony, and her cheeks flushed. “People are starting to stare,” she mumbled.

His eyes dropped to her mouth. “Let them.”

Her heart raced, and she scrambled to change the conversation. “I enjoy being your friend.” She gritted her teeth, embarrassment washing over her like a crashing wave. Really? That was the best you could do? She nearly groaned in annoyance.

He stepped closer, enough that she had to tilt her head back fully just to look into his eyes. “My friend?” he asked, his tone slightly melancholy. “I didn’t know we’d reached that point. Last time I checked, you hated me.”

“Quite the contrary,” Arenna retorted. “It was you who hated me, remember?”

Kayson’s playful smile dropped. “I’ve never hated you, Arenna.” He released her hand. “Believe me, I’ve tried. But you, you’re hard to dislike.” His brows drew together, and his lips parted as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t.

Tension filled the space.

There was such pain in his eyes that it made Arenna ache. “Are you alright?”

He hesitated again. “I need to tell you something.”

Arenna’s stomach hollowed. “Okay,” she murmured. “What is it?”

Silence draped over them like a heavy duvet. He eventually opened his mouth, then closed it, like he was struggling to get whatever it was out. Swallowing, Kayson’s eyes darted between hers, falling to her mouth and lingering long enough that it became hard for her to breathe. “Dance with me.”

The plummeting of her stomach ceased. “All that just to ask me to dance?” she scoffed.

He took a step toward the doors leading to the ballroom, an innocent smile on his tanned skin. “Please?” Something in her heart told her to push him, to yank out the truth, but she could not bring herself to.

She stepped toward him but hesitated. Arenna wanted to—goddesses, she did. But a line had already been crossed, and the look in his eyes, the feel of his skin on hers—she wasn’t sure if she could keep it friendly.

Wasn’t sure if she even wanted to anymore.

But would she be doing him a disservice by offering only a part of herself? Arenna had endured years in a broken marriage, which had led to a broken soul. Crossing this line with Kayson would mean entering a world she might not be ready for.

And if she did cross it, he wouldn’t receive all of her. Sorrows, she didn’t even know what she looked like anymore.

But Arenna did know that the feeling of hands on her body sent fear coursing through her veins.

A raised hand was enough to make her flinch.

She was learning that what she shared with Jaksen wasn’t love, and though she didn’t know what love was supposed to be, she knew she might not be ready for it.

Arenna knew she wouldn’t be able to give herself to Kayson in the way he deserved—or might have wanted.

It was wrong to want more from the Fae King.

To wonder what his lips felt like, tasted like.

To imagine his hands wrapped around her body, pulling her close to his chest. How could she have reached this point so quickly, when she escaped not so long ago?

Above all, Arenna was terrified— terrified at how quickly her heart had changed after enduring so much, terrified of falling back into another trap.

As she looked up at the king, she believed he would not hurt her. But she had once believed that about Jaksen too, and she did not yet know how to move forward from that.

When she looked up at him again and saw the sadness burning in his eyes, Arenna smiled softly. “I’m not feeling up to it. You should go on without me.”

Turning her gaze back to the stone beneath her feet, Arenna’s cheeks burned.

She couldn’t look at him as she lied. Their goal was to rid their dying world of a plague, restore the continents to their former glory, and rid the world of Jaksen, of his blood magic.

Free the enslaved. And then she would leave.

She would find a place to live outside the castle walls, maybe even beyond these waters.

But Kayson—King of Worden, Ruler of Fae—was tethered to these lands.

He didn’t belong with her, chasing the whispers of the wind. He belonged here.

Without her.

Without that kind of distraction.

Kayson frowned but nodded. “Of course,” he said. “If you change your mind, my offer will always stand.”

“Always?” she asked.