Page 182 of The Throne Seeker

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You were clear about how you still feel about him.”

She took his face into her hands, unable to stand the soul-crushing look he was giving her. “You must understand, Roman. Look at me,” she ordered, making sure he was listening to what she was about to say. “It’s true I love him, but I’m no longerinlove with him. I can’t be… not after you.”

He nodded weakly, still not looking sure.

“You believe me, don’t you?”

Roman gazed at her softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Of course I do.”

“It’s just… I’m scared to go back. To see your family, to see him. That’s all.”

“We don’t have to go back until you’re ready.”

“When is that? When are we going to tell them?Whatare we going to tell them? We can’t hide here forever.” She was already imagining Tristan’s rage—his family’s disappointment in them both.

“We don’t need to worry about it right now. We’ll figure it out when the time comes. Let’s just enjoy the time we have together like this.” He took her hand in his. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What exactly was the deal you made with the phoenix to save me?”

A nervousness crept up, taking hold of her limbs, as she thought about the terrible day she’d almost lost him.

“He asked for my help,” she replied, thinking back on the words that haunted her mind. “He asked me to sing to help it be reborn, to heal it… I think, in a way, he knew I needed to be healed, too.”

“So you can speak to all magical creatures?”

She nodded. “Thus far at least.”

He thought for a moment. “And the seer in the second challenge… Could you speak to her, too? You two looked like you were having some sort of… internal dialogue going on.”

“Yes, she spoke to me.” It was strange to be admitting it all out loud. “She warned me there would be another war, one the likes we’d never seen, and I’d be at the heart of it. I was afraid I’d be the cause of this war unless I let Tristan go… just adding to the long list of reasons why I had to end things.”

Roman’s eyes widened. “Have you told anyone else this?”

“No one. Who would believe me?”

“You’re telling me you’ve had to carry this burden all alone this entire time?”

She didn’t know why, but tears pricked her eyes, perhaps because she was relieved to finally share the burden. “Yes.”

Roman’s eyes grew bitter. “And I sat there and accused you.”

“Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t know.”

“I should’ve,” he seethed with self-resentment. “I should’ve known something wasn’t right. You were only protecting everyone else like you always had. I was such a fool.”

“It’s no one’s fault. I chose not to tell anyone.” Her skin grew cold as she thought about what else the seer had said. “She also spoke of someone she saw in my future, someone she seemed terrified of. She called him the Blood King.”

Roman frowned. “The Blood King?”

She nodded. “Does that mean anything to you?”

“No… no, it doesn’t.”

Her shoulders sank. Despite thorough research in the library over the past few weeks, she hadn’t been able to find a single book that mentioned the Blood King. And it appeared that no one else knew the answer either.

Silence reigned until he reached for her, noticing her distress. “You don’t need to be afraid. Nothing will happen toyou. Not while I’m around.” He wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll find out more. I’ll help you.”