The Forsaken King

The image of those clipped wings would haunt me for the rest of my life.

I felt pain for every creature that I tried to save, and it always hurt when I didn’t get there in time. But this was different. It was barbaric mutilation, something so vile that evil wasn’t a strong enough word to describe it.

Huntley was on the wheel, guiding us in the right direction to return to our cold world. I could already feel the change in temperature, feel the humidity dissipate the farther we traveled.

The sun officially set, and we went below deck into the cabin to sleep.

Huntley stripped down to just his breeches before he lit the lantern that kept the cabin aglow. But instead of getting into bed, he sat in one of the armchairs, his elbow resting on the table beside him. His eyes were empty and glazed over, as if his thoughts were somewhere else.

“What is it?”

His eyes flicked to me.

I’d changed into one of his long-sleeved shirts but left my bottoms off since he would remove them once we went to bed.

His stare was still blank, as if days of abstinence weren’t enough to surge his libido like it did for me.

I continued my stare.

His only response was a slight shake of his head.

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Huntley. Returning to Delacroix is the only way I can help them. I’m not happy that you want to use them to further your own gains, but I have to help them, regardless of what comes next. That sorrow I felt…I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“That’s not what’s on my mind.”

“Then what is?”

His eyes flicked away once again, severing the conversation.

Every single day on the seas was spent in silence.

Huntley was quiet, closed off.

The sex was hot like it always was, but that was the only way we connected. The rest of the time, it was like he didn’t want anything to do with me. Every time I asked him about it, he never had a reply.

I wasn’t sure if he would ever tell me.

When it got really cold, I knew we were close.

Land appeared in the distance, hardly visible through the thick fog bank that obscured everything from sight. I kept my clothes bundled around my body and missed the humid heat of Quartz. Sweat had dripped down my back and I was always hot, but it was preferable to this bone-chilling frost.

Huntley turned the wheel a bit, as if he knew where the outpost was without any landmarks or direction from the stars. I had no idea how he’d become such a skilled sailor, considering he was on land most of the time, but this man seemed capable of anything. He raised the sail to half-mast, and we glided to the coast.

There was nothing else to do but wait.

I came to his side at the wheel, feeling the contact of the fog against my cheeks the second it hit. I could feel the cold moisture on my skin, like drops of rain from the sky. “Huntley.”

He resisted my command for a while, his eyes still on the fog.

I waited, knowing he would meet my gaze eventually.

After a while, he did. His blue eyes were empty, their vibrant light blocked by storm clouds.

“Tell me.”

It was quiet, the fog swallowing the sounds of the waves, of the breeze. The boat creaked from time to time, but the rest of the time, it was just pure silence. “I have a dilemma on my hands. I’ve been trying to solve it.”

“What dilemma?”

“I’ve found a solution, but I’m not sure if you’ll accept it.”

My arms crossed over my chest.

“Queen Rolfe expects an attack on HeartHolme. The Teeth will come—which is something that hasn’t happened in a very long time. It’s something we can’t afford, not if Necrosis strikes, which can happen at any moment. For the safety of her people, it’s best to give them what they want to deter their bloodshed.”

My heart pounded because I knew what they wanted.

“After you give us the dragons, she plans to hand you over.”

It was such a betrayal—from him. “And you gave no objection?”

“I did. Didn’t change anything.”

“Well, I couldn’t save the dragons…so I guess I’m safe for now.”

“But after we get what you need from Delacroix, you won’t be.”

My arms tightened over my chest. I’d always felt safe with him, but now I didn’t. “What’s your solution?”

He looked straight ahead for a while, staring at the solid wall of fog all around us. “Marry me.”

The breath that I sucked between my teeth was loud, even with the fog muffling everything. My hands tucked into the crooks of my arms, looking for warmth as a different kind of cold spread through my limbs.

He turned back to me. “She’s not going to hand my wife over to anyone.”

All I did was breathe.