Page 10 of The Throne Seeker (Vallorian #1)

R elief came with the chilly breeze nipping her skin as Rose exited the castle—a welcome contrast to the stuffy, hot ballroom. She drank it in, calming her rapid heartbeat.

Continuing along the stone patio, she made her way to the beach where she and Tristan had agreed to meet.

She descended the stoned steps as her shadow trailed behind. The stars and twin moons cast their bright, cool rays, lighting her way through the tall sea grass swaying in the wind.

The moment she reached the sandy shore, she took a deep, medicinal breath, casting her gaze on the sea. She hadn’t entered its depths since she was a child, not daring to go more than ankle-deep.

Without thinking, her hands went to her hair, unbraiding it to let it fall freely. Relief came to her scalp as she shook it loose. She slipped off her shoes next, kicking them away to feel the cool, soft sand under her feet.

“Lovely night, isn’t it?” a male voice said, shattering her solitude.

She swiveled, expecting Tristan. Instead, she spotted a dark-haired, very red-eyed Xavier sitting in the sand.

She instinctively stepped back. “Xavier.” Her cheeks burned. “Sorry. I thought?—”

“I was your lover, Tristan?” Xavier finished, his words slurring into a smirk.

The same bottle from dinner rested in the sand between his ankles where he leaned against a large rock.

Her face must have given her away because he let out a faint scoff.

“Don’t look so surprised. I’ve known you practically my whole life.

You’ve had my brother wrapped around your pretty little finger for years. ”

She shot him a glare, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the cold, ignoring his dig. “What are you doing out here?”

A sharp smile spread while he raised the bottle in a mock toast. “I was just out for a lovely evening stroll, of course. I don’t care much for dancing. But the real question is, what are you doing here? Isn’t that your ball going on inside?”

She hesitated, not sure how much she should disclose, but she didn’t want to lie. “I’m waiting for him.”

Xavier gave a bitter laugh. “Of course you are… Doesn’t everyone just love Tristan?” He took another gulp of his drink, wiping his mouth sloppily as he stood up.

Her insides squirmed at his drunken gaze. “He seems to be the only one of you two with his wits about him.”

Xavier’s grin widened. “You have grown up.” He took a menacing step towards her.

She was tempted to retreat, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. So she stood her ground, steadying her feet in the sand.

“Look at you with your hair down and shoes off,” he appraised her. “You’re so much more attractive, wild, like this.”

He was taunting her now. “Excuse me, I think I’m going to go back inside.” She tried to sidestep around him.

He blocked her path with one step. “So feisty. I like this Rose.”

Now she knew he was just trying to get on her nerves. “Stop it.”

“I’m just pointing out the obvious. I see why Tristan’s so smitten with you.”

The look in his eye unsettled her. It was as if a stranger stood there—different from the change with Roman. “What’s gotten into you?”

“This is how I am now. Haven’t you heard? Surely someone has told you what a disappointment I’ve turned out to be.” He took another swig of his drink.

She sent a hostile look at the bottle, wishing she could rip it from his hands. “Don’t do that; don’t pretend you don’t care. You may have everyone else here fooled, but you’ll have to try harder with me.”

“That’s just it, Rosy. ” He used her old nickname to antagonize her. “I don’t care. Not anymore.”

“Tristan told me what happened in Corrin. Is that supposed to be you not caring?”

Xavier grew deathly still, proving she’d struck a chord. He leaned in closer, the stench of alcohol reeking on his breath. “What did he tell you?”

She lifted her chin. “Enough.”

“Oh, I doubt that.”

Her brows knitted together. She had just opened her mouth to speak when she caught him staring at her lips, then back up to her eyes. The gesture reminded her eerily of Tristan.

“Don’t.” She knew what he was thinking. She stepped back. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what? You’ll have to be more specific,” he coaxed, stepping forward.

She refused to play into his distraction. “Don’t let them take the crown from you.”

Xavier’s gaze ripped from her lips back to her eyes.

No more coddling. She was going to drag him up from whatever hole he’d dug for himself. A year ago, he would’ve done the same for her.

“That’s exactly what they’re going to do. But you already know that, don’t you? They’re on the verge of excluding you from your succession. I don’t know what happened, but the boy I knew wanted nothing but to be king. Don’t give them an excuse to take that from you.”

Xavier remained deadly still, pinning her under his icy eyes as the wind blew her hair across her brow.

“You know, you’re the first one to say it.

Everyone walks on eggshells, and you’ve been here all but twelve hours, and you just…

come out and say it.” He paused as if deep in thought.

“But you should know I’ve already lost.”

“That’s not true. You have the crown, your family, this home. Talk to your father. Let him see?—”

“You don’t understand!” He slammed the empty bottle against the large rock next to him, breaking the bottom half as she recoiled.

“I don’t want to see burned corpses. I don’t want to find ships full of good men at the bottom of the sea.

I don’t want to look down and be covered in the blood of my best friend.

And what’s more, I have no desire to be a part of this family. ” He came closer.

She rooted her feet to the sand, fully aware he’d had more than enough to drink, the scenario too reminiscent of her past. A stronger breeze blew over her, enough to sweep her hair back over her shoulder.

“I hate my brother, I hate my father, and I wish nothing but misery for both of them,” Xavier fumed, the broken bottle still dangling in his hand by his side. He lowered his voice. “If you’d stayed away, perhaps Tristan would finally know what it’s like to lose something.”

She sucked in a nervous breath, looking at the bottle, then back to him. “You don’t mean that.”

His eyes grew hooded as he leaned in, drawing his lips closer. A long-forgotten ache surfaced—something her teenage heart had once dreamed of. He knew that. And now he played with that knowledge to get back at Tristan. A fire grew in her belly and spread through her limbs.

Before his lips could meet hers, her palm struck his cheek. Hard enough that his head whipped to the side from the force.

At an excruciatingly slow pace, his head turned back to her, his icy eyes flaring.

“That was low, even for you.” She sidestepped him, but Xavier’s arm shot out, yanking her back. “Let go.” She struggled to escape, but his grip didn’t falter as he attempted to pull her back. “I said let go!” She swung to hit him again.

He was faster. He captured her wrist, forcing her closer once more. In one swift motion, the hand gripping the shattered bottle swung at her, coming at a perilous speed. She didn’t have time to dodge as the jagged edge sliced her neck.

She stumbled backward, tripping over the hem of her dress and falling onto the sand. She scooted back, putting a hand over her neck to discover blood leaking from it. Her horrified eyes lifted to his. She didn’t dare breathe, too afraid to speak. Too shocked to move.

He loomed over her as his electrifying eyes shocked her.

After a few moments, his gaze softened. For the first time since she’d been back, she glimpsed through them, like a transparent window into his soul, betraying an internal war raging inside.

She swore she saw a flash of regret, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

He dropped the blood-streaked bottle. “For your own sake, Rose, stay away from me.” Without another word, his drunken figure walked away down the beach until he disappeared into the night.

She remained still until he was out of sight, finally releasing the breath she’d been holding. She removed her hand from her neck, her fingers covered in crimson red. She clutched her neck again, alarmed. She couldn’t let anyone see her like this.

Her eyes lifted to the sea. She willed herself to stand, stumbling toward the water. Her head spun—dizzy from rising too quickly. She didn’t know how deep the cut was, but with each passing moment, her pain only grew.

Once she reached the damp sand, she tore the hem of her dress, sank to her knees, and submerged it in the water.

She pressed the cloth to the side of her neck to staunch the bleeding, but as soon as it made contact with her skin, the salty water stung her.

She cried out, jolting the cloth away. Biting her lip, she steeled herself for the sting as, with a trembling hand, she returned the fabric to her neck, shock coursing through her body.

With every wave the ocean sent, her knees sank deeper into the sand, ignoring the cold it brought. Tears hovered in her eyes, but she shoved them back, refusing to expend the energy.

In the distance, a happy voice beckoned. “I didn’t realize when I said to meet at the beach that we’d be night swimming.”

She closed her eyes, cursing to herself. How in Vallor could she have forgotten why she was out here in the first place?

When she didn’t respond, his footsteps quickened. “Rose?…. Rose!” he exclaimed in horror, dropping to his knees by her side. “What happened?”

She didn’t fully comprehend why her first instinct was to lie.

Perhaps it was because she partly felt responsible for the whole situation.

And Xavier was already walking on thin ice.

If his father or Tristan found out what he had done…

It could be the final crack to break them all. “I tripped… fell onto the rocks.”

He gently lifted her hand away from her wound. His eyes widened with concern. “That looks deep.” He scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest. “You need help.”

She tried to speak, but her vision started to blur. He stood and began rushing her back to the castle.

“You stay with me, you hear me?” he commanded. “Dammit, stay with me. I’ve got you. Stay with me.”

The desperation in his voice... it sounded like he was trying to will her to live, but still, her eyes fluttered, threatening to close.

His grip on her tightened, crushing her into his muscular frame. “No. Hey, no, stay with me. Please… to the everlasting gods, please .”

She held on to consciousness as long as she could, but within moments, her mind faded into darkness.