Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms 3)
Cleo let out a long, shaky breath and tried to release the hatred that continued to burn inside her. She looked up at Nic, wincing at the bruises on his face.
She gently touched his cheek. “That looks like it hurts a lot.”
“Less every day. I’m fine, really. But it seems that you’re experiencing a flurry of angst today.”
“More like disappointment. Our potential ally seems to have found herself in bed with the enemy.” She told him about her recent encounter.
“Wow.” Nic’s brows shot up. “Although, now that you mention it, I have heard Kraeshian girls are known to be rather . . . friendly. Looks like Amara represents her empire well, even if her taste is questionable.”
She grimaced. “It makes me wonder what she’s really after, and if she and her brother have different goals after all.”
Nic appeared to consider this new information. “Perhaps she assumes Magnus can lead her to the Kindred. Does she think he has it buried under his blankets?”
She glared at him. “It’s not funny.”
“I would never dare make light of something like this.” But his lips were twitching slightly.
Nic had once been jealous of how she had behaved toward Magnus during the wedding tour. But he had to understand that it had been necessary for her to feign a certain level of affection. Still, he’d accused her of falling in love with the prince.
What a truly ridiculous notion that had been.
She was still insatiably curious about Nic’s dealings with Prince Ashur. Apart from his confession of their kiss, he hadn’t been inclined to divulge much. Cleo tried to be patient. He’d confided so much in her already, and she was certain he’d tell her more if there were more to tell.
“I don’t trust them, Nic. I can’t align with anyone I don’t trust. So what do I do now?”
“I wish I knew.”
She felt her life and goals spiral out of her control, spinning like a top. “I need a sign. Something to tell me what to do next. Some sign to tell me there’s still hope for us.”
Just then, the throne room doors swung open and voices boomed down the hallway. Cleo peered around the corner to see the king emerge, followed by the handsome boy that had been assigned as Lucia’s new tutor. Lucia had spent all day yesterday locked in her chambers with the boy as they began their private lessons.
What constituted these lessons had not been disclosed to anyone, but many servants had begun to whisper that they involved Princess Lucia’s secret and dangerous talent for elementia.
Whatever the truth might be, Cleo could see why Lucia seemed so eager to devote herself to her new studies. Her tutor was tall and lean and devastatingly attractive. His features looked as if they’d been forged from precious metals—bronze hair and silver eyes. His skin glowed with an ethereal golden tan as if lit from within.
“Do you know anything about him?” Cleo asked Nic.
“Not much. Apparently Lucia crossed paths with him in the city after the rebel escape. She brought him back and the king accepted him with open arms. Very unlike him.” Nic eyed the pair with disdain. “Knowing his majesty, I give Alexius a week, maybe two, before he’s dead.”
Alexius. She’d heard his name in passing, but with her mind so set on a multitude of other problems, she couldn’t quite place it.
But suddenly, the name resounded deep within her.
Cleo’s breath caught and held as she remembered what Lucia had confessed the day they toured the city together.
“A Watcher named Alexius visited my dreams. He promised to visit me again after I woke, but I haven’t seen him since.”
“Cleo?” Nic touched her arm. “You’ve gone pale. What is it?”
She met his concerned gaze and a smile slowly spread across her face. “That sign I wanted? To give me hope? I think it just walked through those doors.”
CHAPTER 19
LUCIA
AURANOS
The king had readily agreed to make Alexius Lucia’s elementia tutor.