Page 68 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

“No.” He shudders. “She’s fascinated by anything vibrant, and if she knew how to summon it on purpose, I think she’d burn the whole kingdom down.

” He pauses again, but this one is weighted.

“But her power can flare unexpectedly. If something upsets her, if she loses her temper, if she panics—anything can trigger the magic, and without training, she has no control. Often, it’s small.

But sometimes, it’s not. I can summon fire from quite a distance, so it stands to reason that she can, too.

She’s burned herself, her nannies...there’s a reason I keep her down a stone hallway. ”

I study him. “That’s why you were so upset,” I say. “When I tried the sigil in the settlement.”

“Yes,” he says gravely. “I know how much damage untrained magic can cause.”

“Is Victoria burning your crops?” says Asher.

Ky looks at him. Seconds tick by, and the silence is painful.

“I don’t know,” he finally says. “It might not be her. Without training, I have no way of knowing if her magic causes fires elsewhere. I can direct fire away from me, but it took years to develop any kind of precision.” He pauses.

“Without rain, the land is so dry. Whether it’s Victoria or not, once a fire starts, it’s near impossible to stop. ”

And all his terrifying power can’t help. I saw that myself. I think of the scent of smoke when we camped in the ravine, and I wonder if wildfires were flaring then. “Could you ban fire, the way we did in Astranza?”

“We may not have your deep snows, Princess, but it is still winter. I cannot ask my people to freeze. They already suffer enough.” He pauses, his tone grave. “And how would I justify it? How could I even enforce it, for that matter?”

I remember our conversation about the lies rulers tell their people, how I asked what lies he tells.

He didn’t answer. But as I consider his questions, I realize that there’s no good solution.

I think of Charlotte bringing me the ice-cold cup of tea.

A night without fire in the palace was miserable—and that was just a night.

“Could Victoria live elsewhere?” I say.

He sighs heavily. “I’ve tried—but she does not handle change well, which brings its own set of risks and challenges.

She fears being in a carriage, so traveling could make her panic and cause her magic to flare.

Once I was able to take her to the cliffs over the ocean, and I thought she might like it there.

..until she decided she had enough, and tried to walk back to Lastalorre, in the cold, in the middle of the night.

We found her soaking wet, in a ravine. I had to bring her home. ”

I can hear the worry in every word. He’s such a protector.

Unlike Dane...who’s not.

Ky looks into my eyes and says, “Forgive me, Princess. I asked for no lies between us, and I...I did not intend for this to be a lie. But perhaps...perhaps it was an omission. You deserve the full truth. My army is fierce. Incendar is strong—for now. I will protect these borders, and I will protect you. If Dane proceeds with this alliance, I will do my best to protect Astranza. But my sister is...my sister. Keeping her a secret was an effort to protect her, not to deceive you. But you see why I am so very desperate for your father’s help, and why I will do anything to ensure this alliance is a success. ”

He’s so earnest. As always, he speaks with such conviction. I still don’t know how Dane negotiated with this man for months, because there’s a part of me that would’ve given him everything he asked for on the very first day.

But as I look into his eyes, I realize Asher is looking at me, and there’s weight in his gaze. He’s been affected by every word the king said as well.

We both know that my father can’t uphold this alliance—or if he can, it won’t be for very long.

Emotion wraps up my chest and draws tight. Maybe I’m being disloyal to Astranza, but I cannot lie for Dane anymore.

“Ky,” I say, and my voice is so soft. “My father is dying.”

He goes completely, utterly still. The fires in the room flicker and blaze for a wild moment, as if reacting for him. For all the warmth surrounding us, his eyes have gone ice-cold.

“I didn’t know,” I say in a rush. “Dane only told me the night before you arrived, and he threatened that it would be my fault if I risked the alliance—because Astranza needs you. If my father’s weather magic cannot protect our soldiers—”

“You need mine to do it.”

He says it so quietly. This is worse than that moment when he finally broke from strain and lost his temper. I swallow thickly, then nod.

He still hasn’t moved.

“She truly did not know,” says Asher.

Ky’s eyes flick to him.

“I heard Dane tell her myself. I saw him threaten her myself.”

The king’s eyes shift back to me, and I watch him glance at my wrist. I remember the bruises that were there the morning we met, and I know he remembers, too.

“How long does King Theodore have?” he says.

“I don’t know. But Dane believes it will be soon.”

His jaw twitches. “No wonder he dragged out the negotiations. No wonder he spent weeks on minor points. He was biding his time, knowing I would gain no magic, while he would get my army. And all the while, my people move toward starvation.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I hadn’t considered the reason for Dane’s delays—and I wonder if this is worse than just sending assassins after us.

Ky sighs, rubbing his hands down his face again. “So I have struck an alliance that yields nothing for my people—and merely puts them at risk. More at risk than they already were.”

“Well,” says Asher. “Not quite .”

We both look at him. We both say, “What?”

He shrugs. “No one signed anything. You’re not married.” He looks at Ky. “Didn’t you tell Jory that you’d strike the whole thing and rewrite it with her ?”

“Well, yes, but—” He straightens, his gaze darkening. “Wait, were you spying ?”

Asher waves it off. “That’s hardly the worst thing I’ve done. But if you already know the truth about King Theodore—”

“And if I’m here ...” I prompt.

Ky looks between the two of us, considering. But his mouth is still a line.

“When was Dane to begin providing food?” I say.

“He wasn’t,” Ky says. “It was the very first thing I asked for.”

Rage surges in my chest. “He wouldn’t give you food ? Now I want to ride back and shoot him.”

Ky snorts. “I’ll saddle the horses right now.

” He pauses. “Princess—your brother was quite resistant to my requests for anything that would provide immediate aid. Knowing this, it’s clear that he designed this alliance with the knowledge that Incendar would be kept weak, while I would be obligated to support Astranza. ”

“Dane also thought he could bully me into keeping this a secret,” I say.

“But he couldn’t.” I reach out and put a hand over his.

“Ky. You really could saddle horses right now. Our winter stores are full. Overflowing, even. You said it yourself in the inn: Astranza doesn’t know the meaning of meager portions .

We could have wagons filled and crossing the border in a matter of days—before Dane would even know. On my order.”

A new emotion flickers in his eyes, and he puts a hand over mine. “Not now , Princess—because I’m not riding back into Astranza without a regiment behind me.”

“Behind us ,” I say.

He takes a breath, then pulls my hand to his mouth, and kisses my palm. His fingers are so warm, and there’s so much reverence in the motion, and I shiver. Without warning, I’m remembering the weight of him when we were tussling, the feel of his thumb brushing along the curve of my breast.

But his eyes are still serious. “If your word is good, then yes, Princess. Yes . If you will help me feed my kingdom, then whatever you ask, it’s yours.”

“Sanctuary,” I say immediately.

He looks at me, and his eyebrows flicker into a frown. “I won’t let Dane harm you. I would hope I’ve been clear.”

“Not for me,” I say. “For Asher.”

This time they both go still.

Asher finally looks at me. “I’m not a part of this.”

“You are a part of this,” says the king. “You’ve been a part of this since the moment you forced me out of the palace in Perriden.”

That draws Asher up short, but only for a second. He glares between the two of us, but his gaze stops on me. “No. I’m not.” His eyes light with a spark of challenge, but maybe a little belligerence, too. “He’s your future husband, Jor. It’s clear you want each other.”

I glare at him, but heat is already climbing up my throat. The worst part is that he’s not wrong about either half of that statement. “ Asher. ” I swallow. “I don’t—I want—”

But I can’t finish either statement.

I don’t want him to go.

I might want the king...but I want Asher, too.

“Please,” I say softly. “Stay.”

Asher glances away, his gaze locking down. “I shouldn’t be here. Just lock me in a carriage and send me back—”

“Bleeding skies,” Ky snaps. “The two of you are worse than Cal and Garrett.” He sighs heavily. “I’m going to knock you both into the pool.”

“Oh, shut up,” says Asher. “You are not—”

Ky grabs the edge of the stone bench and flips it back. I shriek before I realize it’s even happening, and then I’m soaking wet and sputtering.

The water isn’t deep at all, and once I sit upright, it’s level with my chest. Thanks to the fire in the room, it’s delightfully warm—but I simply cannot believe he did that.

The king is looking between us, firelight flickering across his features. “Asher.” He crosses his arms, and his voice goes low, full of honey. “I’m not sending you away.”

As always, Asher goes still when the king says his name. He just said it’s clear that the king and I want each other—and he’s not wrong. I felt the king’s hard weight thrusting against me last night. Just the memory of it sends a pulse of heat right between my legs.

But it’s clear that they want each other, too.

I think of everything I’ve learned about Asher, and everything he said about our alliance. I think of everything he’s gone through, the way his body reacts when I touch him. I think of how he reacts when the king touches him.

Maybe he doesn’t need me to negotiate for sanctuary—and instead he needs me to negotiate this .

I look at him in the warm water of the pool. The firelight glistens off his blond hair, droplets of water clinging to his jaw, just below the lines of ink on his cheek. His eyes are still on the king, belligerent and wary.

“Asher,” I say softly. “Kiss me.”

For an instant, he freezes—but then his gaze meets mine, and he obeys.

When Asher takes hold of my waist, it draws a small sound from my throat, but then he sucks my lower lip right between his teeth.

It’s sudden and aggressive and gentle all at the same time, and I’m gasping into his mouth.

All the heat he stoked in my chambers blooms between my legs. I could drown in the taste of him.

But then my hands fall on his arms, clinging to him. I feel the change, the hesitation , and I draw back.

“Stop?” I whisper.

He’s breathing hard, but after a moment, he shakes his head.

“Do you still fancy the king?” I say, my voice just as soft.

He holds so still, his eyes boring into mine. But then he nods.

I lean in, very carefully, and brush my lips against his. This time, he breathes, his eyes falling closed.

I finally look up at Ky. His golden eyes are full of heat, watching us both. Waiting.

“You’re a part of this, too,” I say. “Join us.”

The king doesn’t move. His eyes flick between us as if he’s not sure he should dare.

But Asher takes hold of my waist and pulls me against him, and his hand slips right up my rib cage to stroke a thumb right over my breast. It’s quick and hot and that tiny movement pulls a sound right from my throat. My legs shift in the warm water, and suddenly my clothes feel like too much.

“Don’t worry,” Asher says to him, and now his tone is low and taunting, reminding me of their moment in the hallway. “We are not competing, remember?”

Water splashes. Ky makes an aggrieved sound. “Oh, fuck you, Asher,” he says. And that’s all I hear, because the king’s warmth is suddenly at my back, his hands are on my hips, and his mouth, hot and sweet, closes on my neck.