Page 51 of Spirit Rites

“Well, since it’s apparentlynotup to you, when do I need to do it?” He doesn’t answer, and I give him time. I’m not trying to make him more upset, but I do need to know what all I’m dealing with. “Are you worried I won’t pass the test?”

“No, not at all,” he says immediately.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is you shouldn’t have to prove that you’re a worthy mate or queen. You already are, and I don’t need a Jade Ceremony to prove it.”

His words make me tear up. “What about my wisdom and justice?” I ask.

“Do you know how many times we would have been dead if not for your wisdom in the Spirit Rites?”

“You didn’t do so bad yourself,” I say right back. When he doesn’t say anything, I prompt him. “What about justice?”

“I saw your justice in the Trials, Kinsley.”

His words shock me. “Really? You didn’t even know who I was.”

He makes a sound, but I’m not really sure how to interpret it. “I saw you in the Trials, the day we watched the highlights of it. I watched when you held a knife to the girl’s throat that came into your camp after Farrah was bitten. You were ready to kill her if she was a threat to Farrah, but you let her go. That’s justice, Farrah. Knowing when to take a life and when to spare it.”

“I can’t believe you saw me in the highlights.”

He’s quiet a moment. “I saw you long before that day.”

I search his face. “You did?”

He nods. “I saw you the first day you met Farrah.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You did not.”

“Yes, I did. I was on my way to give my best to Farrah when you intercepted her, you didn’t really give her a choice to be your friend. I noticed you right away, and I never stopped noticing you.” His voice is quiet, deep; and my heart hammers in my chest.

I search for something to break the intensity. “Well, I noticed you before you noticed me, King.”

He runs his hand up and down my spine. “Did you now?”

“I did. Of course, they announced you; so, it was a little hard to not notice you.”

He chuckles, and it warms my heart. “How come you didn’t come to any of the events? Like the dinner before the Trials started, or the Champion’s Ball?”

I shrug. “The banished aren’t allowed to attend any of those events. That would involve setting foot inside the castle walls, and the king would rather have died than let that happen.”

“Well, hediddie,” Kaldar says with bite in his voice.

“Yes, he did.” I find it hard to have any remorse in my heart for the evil king. “It’s so amazing to me that Rysden came from that man. He was so awful, and Rysden is so nice.”

“How did he die?”

“Rysden’s father?” I ask. He nods. “You really don’t know?”

“No, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Rysden about it. I was going to talk to him about it when I came to get you and Harper, but I ended up being a little busy,” he says wryly.

“Can’t imagine what you were busy doing,” I say with a smile.

“Just hanging with my favorite person in some imaginary, terrifying world.”

Chapter 25

I sit up straight and look him in the eye. “Are you being serious right now?”