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Eyebrows furrowed, Clarissa wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Thorne, you’re nothing like him.

He was cruel and vile. A coward hiding behind some archaic view of what men are supposed to be, only to run away in the end.

How is that strength?” She scooted closer to me on the couch, forcing me to meet her eyes.

“You are warm . You’re gentle. Compassionate.

You held on to that ten-year-old boy, no matter how hard he tried to force it out of you. ”

On instinct, I reached out to cover her hand that still rested on my knee.

“I was thankful he left. I didn’t want Marigold growing up seeing him and the way he treated those around him.

Mother, however…” I grimaced. “She’s been searching for him.

I think she wants answers. Or even vengeance, for what he took from us.

And if I know her, for the blow he dealt her pride, too. ”

“Has she found him?”

“That’s what we were just talking about before you got here.

Apparently, he was a gambler and got himself into massive debt right before he left.

He took most of our life savings to pay off part of it, then disappeared.

The last sign of him was a ledger from a cargo ship here on the island indicating he was on board, but no clue about where he got off.

We have a sneaking suspicion it was the Veridian Empire. ”

“Four years ago?” she asked, straightening. “But that doesn’t make sense. Gayl wanted nothing to do with Mysthelm back then. There’s no way he would’ve allowed people to cross our borders.”

I shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t know about it. Didn’t you say your friend Nox was sent here just this last week? Do you really think he and his governor got permission ? Who knows how long travel between our lands has been going on undetected.”

“Well, who knows if your father made it very far, either. After the way Gayl made outsiders look like the enemy, nobody back then would’ve been particularly receptive to the idea of your people just washing onto our shores.

If they came to the wrong place, it would’ve been a bloodbath.

I’ve seen them do terrible things to our own kind…

but someone without magic? They’d rip you to shreds.

You don’t stand a chance against angry Veridians. ”

She glanced over at me. “Sorry, I’m not trying to sound morbid. It’s just a very dangerous gamble to make.” Standing, she began to pace in front of the couch. “Do you think it’s still happening? People crossing between both our borders unprotected?”

“I suppose it could be. We both know Galen wouldn’t have done anything to stop it.”

“Of course he wouldn’t. That would’ve required taking action. We all know how quick he is to do that.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I sense some repressed anger coming to the surface.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Yes, I’m angry. I’ve been angry for a long time, Thorne. And it’s not just about the border crossing.” Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath, her bare feet padding back and forth across the carpet.

“We keep saying we just need to get through this marriage, that once the curse is broken, it’ll all be over.

But breaking the curse isn’t going to change anything, is it?

This is just who he is . I know he’s your best friend, and I know you want to defend him.

Trust me, I keep doing the same thing. We can’t change the kind of king he is.

He claims to care about his people, but what he’s doing now?

” She flung a hand to the right, in the direction of his hut several doors down.

“Hiding away for days, refusing to talk to anyone? That isn’t what leadership looks like.

He’s failed you, Thorne. All of you. He shouldn’t be your king. ”

I sighed and took her hand, making her stop pacing and turn to me. “But he is,” I said simply.

Clarissa stared down at me, her chest heaving and eyes bright with resolve.

Fates, she was beautiful like this. She was beautiful all the time, but so often when I looked at her, I saw that pacifying mask she wore.

The one she thought others wanted to see, of the controlled, peaceful woman with a submissive gaze, instead of the fire I knew could burn them to the ground.

She felt the need to hide her strong emotions, but something in my chest swelled at the thought that she’d never hidden them around me .

I pulled her to stand in between my legs, caging her in.

She rested her hands on my shoulder as I gazed up at her.

“I know it’s hard for you to watch him fail his people when you’ve grown so attached to them.

Because you know how they should be treated.

I told you that day in the hedge maze that we’d be lucky to have you as our queen, and I meant it.

But we shouldn’t be your burden to bear. ”

“I just want him to be better for all of you,” she whispered. “I wish I could make him better.”

I chuckled softly. “If anyone could do it, it’s you. By sheer will alone.”

She bit down on her bottom lip. “I may have a control issue.”

“You just feel deeply. That’s not a bad thing, Empress,” I said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Something darted across the window behind her, and I stiffened.

In one motion, I stood and pushed her behind me.

I could have sworn I saw a dark cloak swish against the window, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

Striding to the wall, I peered through the glass and into the night.

A slight breeze brushed through the trees several yards out, and leaves skittered across the sandy dirt.

I glanced down to find we’d left the window cracked after Clarissa crawled inside.

“I think it was just the wind,” I said, closing the window and latching it tight.

“The last thing we need is someone running back to Galen telling him they saw us together,” she said with a sigh. “I shouldn’t even be here after what happened the other night.”

“He was drunk,” I said as I made my way back to her. “Probably making things up in his head to assuage his guilt over being an idiot.”

She tilted her head and gave me a look. “We both know he’s not making anything up, Thorne.”

The memory of that night burned inside me, heating my blood with anger once again. “He shouldn’t have said those things to you. No matter what the truth is,” I said through clenched teeth.

A grin worked itself onto her lips as she took a step closer. “Usually, I’m the one knocking others out. It was nice to have someone else do it for a change.”

Our chests brushed, and I let out a low hum, feeling it vibrate through our bodies. “You have a bit of a violent streak, don’t you?”

“I blame the fox half,” she murmured, eyes drifting to my mouth.

I pressed my thumb to her bottom lip and tugged it down, relishing her soft intake of breath. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Empress.” I released her lip, and her tongue darted out to swipe against it. “Or else you may threaten to cut the skin from my lips.”

She scrunched her nose and shook her head with a laugh. “Fates, did I really say that to him?”

“Yes, you really did.” I dipped my head to her ear. “And you have no idea what seeing you like that did to me.”

A shiver went through her. “Perhaps you have a bit of a violent streak too, Lord Reaux.”

“Only when it comes to you.” I gently kissed her temple, the desire to take her and tuck ourselves away from the rest of the world so strong, it nearly took my breath away.

But the image of that stray cloak against the window kept tugging at me, and the idea of someone watching us—watching her —made my protective instincts kick in.

“You should go, Clarissa,” I said quietly. “We need to be more careful.”

She rested her forehead against my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist. I held her tighter and propped my chin on the top of her head. The Hunt began tomorrow, and as soon as that was over, we would head back to the North Territory for the wedding.

And then she would be gone.

“Clarissa—”

“No, don’t say anything,” she whispered. “Just hold me.”

There was nothing words could say that we didn’t already know. Nothing that could fix this or make it right. Nothing except the feel of her against me one last time, of her heart beating to mine as the world around us kept moving forward.

I held her in my arms as long as time would allow, and then I watched her slip back into darkness, taking a piece of me with her.