Page 82 of The Throne Seeker (Vallorian #1)

M oretti let Rose take one of his cloaks as she left. Although he insisted on joining her, she managed to persuade him that it wasn’t necessary, not wanting him to discover where she was staying. After they had shared a few lengthy kisses, he reluctantly agreed to let her depart alone.

She rode Onyx back to Highland Haven. The ride was swift and effortless.

Despite the heavy rain, it felt like a breeze after the intense race they had just won.

Thick clouds shrouded the sky above, making the roads dark.

She typically despised traveling in rainy conditions, but Onyx alleviated all her fears, his eight legs propelling them swiftly through the downpour.

They were both soaked to the bone when they reached the large estate. She showed Onyx the stables, making sure he was comfortable and dry before going back inside.

Rose quietly opened and closed the door, removing her soaked cloak and wringing her wet hair out. She headed for the stairs, her sore muscles yearning for a soothing salted bath.

Roman sat on the stairs, crouched over with his elbows on his knees, watching her.

She jumped out of her skin. “Roman!” she exclaimed, clutching her chest. “You scared me.”

He looked worse than he had this morning. His eyes were slightly more sunken and hollow, his eyelids an alarming shade of purple, and he was hunched like he was in pain.

She studied him, concerned. “Are you okay? You look ill.”

“I’m fine,” he dismissed, standing. His large, muscular body stiffened. “How’d it go?”

She threw him a guilty glance, foreshadowing the bad news.

“Not good. He couldn’t tell me where they were, even with the powder.

I think he’s bound by some sort of… magic.

I’ve never heard of anyone able to resist its effects.

The only thing I could get out of him was that he was helping them look for something. ”

Roman’s eyes grew even darker, his hands balling into fits. “Damn it.”

“Why are you so bent on finding these men? Who are they?”

After a moment of acceptance, he ground out, “They’re the same group of men who destroyed Corrin.

The exact group of men who were really responsible for starting the war.

Who burned and slaughtered an entire city.

And that’s not the only one. They’ve continued to ravage and burn countless others, taking supplies and leaving a trail of bodies behind them.

It’s happening again, and I want to find out why. ”

And she had failed. Failed these people.

Pain stung her—but she wouldn’t accept defeat. Not yet. “I told him I’d return,” she explained, thinking of how they could get more information. “If I spent more time with him, I could gain his trust?—”

“The hell you will,” Roman lashed out. “It’d be fruitless. He’ll never be able to tell you anything if he’s bound, even if he wants to. Besides, I should’ve never asked you to get involved.”

“I’m sorry. I know you’re angry I didn’t get what you wanted, but?—”

“You think I give a damn about that?”

She didn’t understand where his anger was coming from, if not from her failure. “Then why are you so angry with me?”

“Because I can see it on your face,” he snarled, looking pointedly at the new dress she wore. “You let him touch you.”

Her eyes sparked with fire. “You told me to do what I had to do. I did this for you.”

His eyes were still dark, but his face relaxed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He rubbed his face with a loud exhale, pausing before he added, “Thank you for trying.” His voice was softer, but he still looked like he wanted to punch the wall.

Without another word, he retreated up the stairs to his room.

Rose glared at his back so fiercely she was surprised it didn’t set him on fire. She turned away, fuming.

After everything she’d been through today, after everything she’d done, he was going to blame her for doing exactly what he’d asked? For putting herself in danger yet again, only to be treated like she had been back at the castle?

Her blood boiled. She whipped around, ready to round on him, but he was already out of sight. She took a few steps, tempted to follow him, but she stopped herself. Her limp reminded her she’d never catch up.

Instead, she turned towards the kitchens for a cold rag to put on her ankle.

Early the next morning, Rose found herself at the lake’s edge, standing on the stone staircase that led into the crystal-clear water.

Though the sun had yet to rise, a gorgeous blend of deep-pink and orange painted the fluffy white clouds.

As a result, a soft mixture of pink and purple hues cast over the peaceful forest as birds flew atop the still trees, gliding through the calm, colorful sky.

She wrapped her arms around herself, still clutching the letter from her mother that had arrived that morning. It was short and sweet, and her mother hadn’t uttered a single word about suitable matches, which told her the situation at the castle was still fragile.

Her mother must be at her wit’s end.

The very idea of going back made her shudder. She couldn’t just stay there, hoping for a suitor to rescue her while Tristan paraded his new wife around. Reality forced her to think of a life outside its walls.

And Moretti might be her ticket out.

Rose acknowledged he could be a good match for her.

He had already accepted her circumstances.

He understood the struggle of starting from nothing and building a life for himself, which was appealing to her.

Although she knew little about him and he might very well be crooked and self-serving, he was capable of looking after her.

The effects of the powder confirmed that everything he’d portrayed was true.

Not to mention, her mother would find him more than agreeable.

So why not him?

She cast her gaze on the small island in the middle of the lake, eager to see the view from the grassy, rocky plateau. She must’ve felt courageous from her success at the Snorri because she peeled off her dress, glaring at the water like an opponent to be conquered.

She went down the steps, the cool water soothing the swelling on her ankle. The dull fear of the water threatened to take over her limbs as she continued, but she pressed on, not wanting to be controlled by it any longer. With the water now reaching her hips, she hesitated at the end of the steps.

“Going for a morning swim without me?” a deep voice questioned.

Roman stood at the top of the staircase, already stripped of his clothes. The sight caused a rush of heat to flood her face as she ran her eyes over his body, his tan skin even more perfect in the magenta-filled sky. He’d left his hair down, hanging into his eyes, still sunken and baggy.

“I want to see it.” She nodded out to the small island.

“You were just going to swim out there on your own? With your ankle like that?”

“You don’t think I can?”

“On the contrary. I think you can do anything,” he said with all the confidence in the world, stepping down the stairs into the water. “But I’m coming all the same.”

Rose faced the pink water. “Are you sure you want to?” she asked hotly.

He grew impatient. “Just let me come with you… please .”

Her gaze landed back on him, his gorgeous golden eyes softening her anger. She nodded, surprising herself by agreeing.

He waded into the water past her, pushing off from the last step and creating ripples that danced across the mirrored surface. She forced herself into the water after him, treading water on her own.

“You’re getting brave,” he said, praising her.

“Or reckless,” she mumbled, questioning her choices as of late.

Despite her glum tone, he gave her a gorgeous smile that nearly made her go under. “Or that.”

She rolled her eyes, splashing him.

Together, they swam to the island, her strokes becoming bold and fluid, confident enough to dunk her head and see the large fish scavenging the rocky bottom.

Her muscles screamed at her in the best way as they reached the rocky shore, her chest heaving for air. It made her feel slightly better to see Roman breathing just as hard. He reached down to help her up, and together, they climbed to the top of the small grassy plateau.

She stopped to catch her breath, but the view took it right away.

It was so peaceful. So beautiful. Amid its rocky terrain, purple and blue wildflowers thrived—enough for her to pick a handful and still leave plenty wild. Trees swayed in the morning breeze, sending a comforting wave from afar as the mountain peaks towered overhead.

The longer she stayed here, the more it felt like home.

And that terrified her. Because this wasn’t her home, and it never would be.

It was only temporary, just as everything in her life seemed to be.

She wouldn’t let herself hope. She was too bruised, too broken to deserve something this pure. She’d have to accept it.

Rose walked over to the edge, soaking every detail in. She was so transfixed on the scenery she didn’t realize Roman was standing right behind her.

“Was it worth the swim?”

An involuntary shiver coursed through her as if his graveled tone had come alive and grazed her skin.

“It’s my new favorite place in the world,” she whispered. She looked over her shoulder at him—at the only thing that could make this view better.

His handsome face dripped, water running off his smooth cheeks, his soaked hair bringing out his natural wave just below his ears.

She desperately wanted to give in to the impulse to reach out to him, to take his face into her hands and find out what he tasted like.

She found herself imagining it—craving it.

As if he knew what she was thinking, he said, “You know, I’ve seen my fair share of Vallor.

I’ve been to the shores of Eristan, seen Ostlyn’s sacred temples, explored the vast forests of Vertmere, climbed the snowy mountains of Artistan, but none of those compare to the scene I am looking at right now. ”

His eyes were on her.

Her and her alone.

Unconsciously, she licked her lips and pressed them together, trying not to read too far into his words—convinced that the hope fluttering in her chest was only her heart grappling for something that didn’t exist. “Wasn’t it hard? To come back home after all that?”

“More than you imagine.” He cast his gaze out.

“It was like returning to a vaguely familiar place. Everything looked the same, only… everything was different. When I came back, I desperately wanted it to ease my soul. I craved the peace it used to bring. But no matter how much I willed it, it couldn’t ease the pain I’d just endured.

It couldn’t erase all the terrible things I’d seen and done.

The lives I’d taken. Coming home was merely a painful reminder of all the things well out of my reach.

” His gaze returned to hers, his eyes searing themselves into her soul.

Her breath caught in her throat. His words… they could very well have been her own. He’d hidden his pain so well that it had made her forget that he’d just come back from war. “You know, you saved thousands more than you took.”

He shook his head as if the fact changed nothing for him. “The castle must feel much the same to you,” he acknowledged, changing the subject. “Now that you’ve had time and distance… do you know what you’ll do? When you’ll go back?”

She knew the answer, already coming to terms with it. “I’ll suffocate if I go back. I’ll do what I must. I’ll find a suitor away from the castle and marry him.”

Roman’s mouth grew into a hard line. “You say it like you already have someone in mind.”

She lowered her gaze. “Maybe.”

“Moretti?”

She didn’t respond, looking out into the distance, neither confirming nor denying it.

A fire ignited in his eyes as his fists clenched. “That prick is as slippery as a snake. You have no idea what he’s truly like, what he’s done.”

“That may be true, but I know he’d take care of me. And despite his selfish nature, I know he doesn’t give a damn about my situation. Which is more than I can say for anyone at court.”

His eyebrows raised. “You actually talked about being together? You can’t be serious. You barely know him.”

She shrugged. “I know him differently than you.”

The statement only fueled his anger as he scoffed. “You’re being ridiculous. He gives you one afternoon of attention, one taste of his money, and you’re going to let it seduce you? Come on, Rose, you’re better than that.”

She fumed at his blatant arrogance, his words stinging her like she’d just barged into a forest of stinging nettle. Now he was going to insult her by saying she was only after money? The nerve.

She faced him, coming so close he had nowhere to look but straight into her eyes. “Tell me, do you see a better match lining up for me? To willingly take me when I have nothing? To go against Tristan? If you know anyone who’s up for the challenge, please—I’m all ears.”

He scowled as he immediately opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He couldn’t respond because she was right. She was a doomed cause, ruined in the court’s eyes. Even he couldn’t deny it.

Rose lifted her chin, her point proven. “Judge me all you want, Roman, but I’m not going back to court to wither away.”

Without another word, she left, braving the water and swimming back towards the manor herself.