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Chapter Thirty-Nine

R eign

It took all my willpower to try and tear my gaze away from Aelia as she splashed along the shore with her friends. I told myself the fact that she was wearing mere scraps of lace had nothing to do with it. No, it was definitely not the miles of creamy porcelain skin holding me captive. Truly, it was everything that drew me to her, from her unyielding stubborn nature, to her oversized bleeding heart and the ferocity that knew no bounds.

She was perfect.

Perfect for me in every single way.

If only I could convince her of that.

Still, the words she’d sent on the shadow she’d managed to summon echoed in my mind. Tell me, Reign—are your shadows this bold with everyone, or do they only crave my light?

That was flirting, wasn’t it?

It was something, and I would hold on to the faint hope with every fiber of my being.

“Stop drooling, brother. It’s unbecoming of a prince, even a bastard one.” Ruhl’s voice resonated across the cliffside, the wind propelling it in different directions.

I spun around, so consumed by the sight of Aelia, smiling and happy as she’d once been, I’d completely missed Mordrin’s approach. The slate dragon hovered overhead which explained why I hadn’t heard the monstrous beast land, certain at least, that would have been powerful enough to draw my attention away from my nearly-naked, frolicking cuoré—although, as absorbed as I’d been, maybe not. Though Ruhl could shadowtravel, he hadn’t mastered long distances yet. A trip from the heights of his dragon to the ground below would have been manageable though.

“There’s nothing you can say to sour my mood today, Ruhl.”

His dark brow arched. “Oh really? And why is that?” He’d been shockingly absent the past few days. I had assumed he would have tried to take full advantage of Aelia’s lost memories, but instead, my half-brother had behaved nobly. Which now made me consider that maybe he had changed, as Aelia had claimed all those months ago.

I turned to watch her again, a smile curving across my lips, unbidden. “I think Aelia’s finally starting to come around.”

He stalked up beside me, joining me on the cliff’s edge, gaze pinned to the stunning female swimming in the navy waves. His overt attention rankled at my nerves, but I shoved it down, owing him the benefit of the doubt. “Her memories are returning?”

“I’m not certain, but I believe her feelings might be breaking through whatever twisted lies Helroth planted.”

“Thanks for that, brother.” He rolled his eyes, grim expression settling across his face.

“You know what I mean, Ruhl. I know the cuorem had unexpected side effects, but you must know that Aelia never actually loved you, right?”

His jaw ticked, the tension along the sharp line tightening, forcing me to pause and truly regard my brother.

“Gods, Ruhl. Do you actually love her?” I barely managed to spit the question out.

“That’s hard to say, since I’m not certain I know the meaning of the word.” His gaze remained fixed to the white-capped sea, flickering between the frolicking Light Fae and the horizon, yet I could pick up on something there, something deep and painful underlying his words. “But yes, it’s as close to love as I’ve ever known.”

I was powerless to keep the sharp intake of air at bay. I knew he lusted after Aelia, possibly had even developed some sort of feelings for her, but love? Instead of the burning jealousy I’d expected at the confession, a hint of sadness speared me in the chest. The only good thing that had come of Aelia’s absence was the relationship forged between my brother and me as a result.

“No need to worry, Reign, even with Helroth’s false memories, she doesn’t love me in return.”

“How do you know?” Realms, I shouldn’t have sounded so excited. Tamping down on the delight, sensing his hurt, I offered my brother a supportive smile.

“She kissed me the other night.”

“What?” I roared. Fuck the pity. Jealousy returned in full force, a blinding, toxic surge poisoning my veins. My hand snaked out, wrapping around my brother’s throat, darkness seeping into the corners of my vision.

“Reign!”

I lifted him off the ground, fingers digging into his Adam’s apple. A feral twist of nox and zar swirled around in my core, bursting from my pores. Inky night blossomed around our forms, concealing us from the looming darkness along the cliff.

“Reign! Let… me… go,” he choked out.

The zar overtook my innate nox , overpowering everything else. Voices hissed across my subconscious, whispering shadows spreading their poison. Finish him. Eliminate the obstacle preventing you from claiming your mate . My fingers curled, nails digging into Ruhl’s neck until I drew blood. His shadows writhed around him, desperate to overtake my own, but there was no contest. Raw power swelled across my ribcage and tendrils of oily night poured from my fingertips and raced into Ruhl’s gaping jaw.

My new minions of night skulked into his mind, stealing the images I needed to see for myself. Aelia’s mouth capturing Ruhl’s, his surprisingly noble attempts at denying her, and still she pushed. That stubborn, willful female… And then the satisfying final answer she gave.

“Did you feel anything?”

“No…”

I drew in a sharp breath, forcing my fingers free of my brother’s throat, immediately returning to my senses. “Damn it, I’m sorry!” I ground out as I gently lowered him to the ground. My handprints marked his neck, blood beginning to dry where my nails had scored his skin, and his cheeks flamed a ruddy hue. “Noxus, I’m sorry, Ruhl.” I raked my hands over my face, then through my hair, pulling at the ends as shame ripped through me. “I was so jealous and angry… I lost all restraint. I couldn’t stop it.”

“Did your new dark minions give you what you needed to see?” he spat, his chest heaving.

“Yes,” I murmured, eyes cast down to the earth.

“She chose you, Reign. Even with the gods’ damned Night King tampering with her mind, she still felt nothing real for me. She loves you, so you better get a hold of yourself.”

I nodded slowly, the amount of satisfaction swirling through my chest at his confession enough to chase away the damned uncontrollable zar .

“And another thing…” He gingerly ran his hand over his neck and guilt ate at my insides as he strode to the edge of the cliff, seemingly wanting to get as far away from me as possible. “I don’t believe the bursts of zar that keep overwhelming you are coming from Aelia.” He ticked his head toward the water where she, Rue and Sy now tussled in the waves. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, certainly not like someone who was fighting zar and pushing it through our bond.

So the question was: Where in all the realms was it coming from?

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” he said, pulling me from my internal musings, “but I didn’t only come by to say hello or get strangled.”

“What’s happened now?”

“Father made an impromptu visit to Arcanum this morning, and I overheard him speaking to Malakar. He wants to deploy more forces along the borders, so he’s pushing the headmaster to graduate the upper classmen early.”

“Against the Night Fae?” I barked.

“It must be. I don’t see any Light Fae threatening a war, do you?”

I slowly shook my head. I couldn’t exactly say as I hadn’t been focused on the battling courts with my thoughts so obsessed with finding Aelia.

“It’s time to consult Father, Reign.”

My head whipped back and forth, fear and anger sparring in my gut. “No, absolutely not.”

“Aelia is safe here with you and that Night Fae beast. Father, along with everyone else of importance, believes her to be dead. For all he knows, your vow has been completed.”

“But I can’t keep her hidden here forever, Ruhl, you know that. You know her.” And in that moment, I realized my words were true. That somewhere along the way, Ruhl had fostered a relationship of his own with Aelia, long before the Night King had stolen her. I heaved out a frustrated breath, my gaze intent on her splashing below. “The moment King Helroth appears on the horizon threatening everyone she loves I won’t be able to keep her away.”

“Then you must find a way. You are her cuoré, do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

Thoughts of escape filled my mind once again. I should have taken her and run all those months ago, when I’d first begged her to, but now she’d never allow it. Not when she barely trusted me. “I will,” I ground out, determined to find a way.

“And in the meantime, I will do whatever I must to keep our kingdom safe and far from a looming war.”

“And your life intact.”

A scowl carved into his jaw at the reminder of the vision, and I immediately regretted the outburst. I knew Ruhl was not the same male I grew up with, his thoughts no longer only of his survival. He had changed, and he proved it every day. “I apologize,” I muttered. “I certainly hope to see you atop the Shadow throne as king one day.”

The flicker of a smile danced across his lips. “Two apologies in a few minutes, that’s a lot for you, brother.”

“I suppose we’ve all grown in the past couple months.” Tunneling my fingers through my windblown hair, I again watched Aelia, so lighthearted and carefree. I wanted it to last forever, that happiness. “There’s something else.”

“What now?” He sank his hands into the pockets of his trousers, shoulders slumping forward, a clear sign of the toll the last few months had taken on all of us.

“Ever since the day King Helroth allowed us to leave with Aelia, something has felt off.”

“Well, that’s glaringly obvious, brother. He didn’t even ask for a blood vow to go along with the engagement agreement. Why would the great Night King simply allow us to take his princess?”

“Exactly.” I glanced at Ruhl, the same fear weighing me down crossing over the furrow of his brow. “What would be the point? What is his ultimate goal?”

“Perhaps he thought releasing Aelia would be enough to trigger the prophecy and the downfall of the courts. Maybe that’s why he’s simply waiting and biding his time for us to destroy ourselves.”

“Maybe…” I wasn’t certain, but it was becoming more apparent we had to do something. My gaze swung between my brother and Aelia, and despite the dread already forming in the deepest marrow of my bones, I forced the words out. “Tell Father we know Helroth and his Night Fae are alive, obviously leaving out the part about Aelia. Find out what he knows.”

Ruhl nodded. “Smart choice, brother.” Then he spun in the direction he’d come.

“Leaving already?” I called out.

He twisted his head over his shoulder with a somber smile, sparing the briefest glance toward the dark sea one last time. “There’s nothing here for me anymore.”

For the first time in as long as I could remember, a pang of pity for my brother lanced through my chest.