ward?”
He shrugged, imagining he could almost feel the slight catch of leather on the rough marks on his chest and arms. “I don’t remember. Probably one on my arms. We are near the heart of the court, so I closed these portals first and I used the most accessible skin when I etched the geasa.”
Her golden gaze was shuttered. “Can you open the portal again?”
“I can’t take back the blood I spilled to lock it.” He stared at her. “Although you could burn the geasa off my body one by one until you find which will break the seal.”
She flinched. “You think I’d do that to you? On purpose?”
“I think you are a force of nature, and such forces are known to roll over the petty pains of lesser beings.”
She straightened, the golden stripes on her body rippling. “Like the Queen, you mean.”
He considered a moment. “In some ways.”
Yelena paled. “She could have killed you when she attacked me, she was so angry. Is that because you and she were...”
“Lovers? No. The last she took to her bed was the Lord of the Hunt before he came Undone. She killed him when he demanded her true name and has taken none since who might challenge her.”
“You could challenge her.” Yelena touched his arm, and though the black leather should have protected him, his body tightened at her nearness. “You wanted an alternative to locking the court. If you were in charge, you could restrain only the dangerous phae and let the rest go free. If you were King—”
He jerked his arm out of her reach. “We have a King.”
She blinked. “Oh. I assumed—”
“Not wise when dealing with the phae. ” For an instant, he wanted nothing more than to scour his skin of geasa so he could throw open the portals and send her back to the sunlit realm, away from him.
But even without her claws, she clung tenaciously. “If you already have a King, why doesn’t he keep the Queen under control?”
“Hard to do when he is buried behind iron in the Queen’s dungeon.” Since she wasn’t touching him skin-to-skin, he shouldn’t have felt compelled to answer. Yet it seemed her very presence had undermined the strict restraints he’d once kept on his emotions, because he spoke with anger. And guilt.
She shook her head slowly in confusion. “Why don’t you free him? Maybe he could help you with the court.”
“He’d rather kill me. I’m the one who imprisoned him.”
Though millennia had passed, the memory still ached, the deepest geas he’d ever carved, scarring all the way to bone. It had trapped him as certainly as it trapped his King, and the wound still bled when he disturbed it.
He took a step toward her, not caring if she touched him now, since he wanted her to know the truth. “The King would have kept fighting the Iron Wars. He would never have retreated, and the phae would have been destroyed. I couldn’t let that happen.”
She lifted her chin as he approached, not backing down. “But there’s another way. Not fighting, not withdrawing, but living with the rest of the world. If you told him how it’s different now—”
“He wouldn’t listen.”
“You can’t know that. What if—”
“I know him better than anyone else. He is my brother.”
Chapter Ten
Yelena stilled. Raze’s face was so hard, as if set in stone. He wasn’t going to change, she realized, dismay settling into her chest even heavier than his expression. He couldn’t change, not because he wasn’t wereling, but because he wasn’t willing. That truth—he didn’t have to say anything more; she saw it in his eyes—stirred her dismay into a heavy sludge in her heart.
“You never intended to let me go, did you?”
His hesitation was so brief, she might not have noticed it except all her senses were on edge, ready to catch him in a lie. “No. I couldn’t unlock a portal just for you. And now that I know the havoc you have in mind, I’d be even more remiss to let you tear open secrets that have stood for thousands
He shrugged, imagining he could almost feel the slight catch of leather on the rough marks on his chest and arms. “I don’t remember. Probably one on my arms. We are near the heart of the court, so I closed these portals first and I used the most accessible skin when I etched the geasa.”
Her golden gaze was shuttered. “Can you open the portal again?”
“I can’t take back the blood I spilled to lock it.” He stared at her. “Although you could burn the geasa off my body one by one until you find which will break the seal.”
She flinched. “You think I’d do that to you? On purpose?”
“I think you are a force of nature, and such forces are known to roll over the petty pains of lesser beings.”
She straightened, the golden stripes on her body rippling. “Like the Queen, you mean.”
He considered a moment. “In some ways.”
Yelena paled. “She could have killed you when she attacked me, she was so angry. Is that because you and she were...”
“Lovers? No. The last she took to her bed was the Lord of the Hunt before he came Undone. She killed him when he demanded her true name and has taken none since who might challenge her.”
“You could challenge her.” Yelena touched his arm, and though the black leather should have protected him, his body tightened at her nearness. “You wanted an alternative to locking the court. If you were in charge, you could restrain only the dangerous phae and let the rest go free. If you were King—”
He jerked his arm out of her reach. “We have a King.”
She blinked. “Oh. I assumed—”
“Not wise when dealing with the phae. ” For an instant, he wanted nothing more than to scour his skin of geasa so he could throw open the portals and send her back to the sunlit realm, away from him.
But even without her claws, she clung tenaciously. “If you already have a King, why doesn’t he keep the Queen under control?”
“Hard to do when he is buried behind iron in the Queen’s dungeon.” Since she wasn’t touching him skin-to-skin, he shouldn’t have felt compelled to answer. Yet it seemed her very presence had undermined the strict restraints he’d once kept on his emotions, because he spoke with anger. And guilt.
She shook her head slowly in confusion. “Why don’t you free him? Maybe he could help you with the court.”
“He’d rather kill me. I’m the one who imprisoned him.”
Though millennia had passed, the memory still ached, the deepest geas he’d ever carved, scarring all the way to bone. It had trapped him as certainly as it trapped his King, and the wound still bled when he disturbed it.
He took a step toward her, not caring if she touched him now, since he wanted her to know the truth. “The King would have kept fighting the Iron Wars. He would never have retreated, and the phae would have been destroyed. I couldn’t let that happen.”
She lifted her chin as he approached, not backing down. “But there’s another way. Not fighting, not withdrawing, but living with the rest of the world. If you told him how it’s different now—”
“He wouldn’t listen.”
“You can’t know that. What if—”
“I know him better than anyone else. He is my brother.”
Chapter Ten
Yelena stilled. Raze’s face was so hard, as if set in stone. He wasn’t going to change, she realized, dismay settling into her chest even heavier than his expression. He couldn’t change, not because he wasn’t wereling, but because he wasn’t willing. That truth—he didn’t have to say anything more; she saw it in his eyes—stirred her dismay into a heavy sludge in her heart.
“You never intended to let me go, did you?”
His hesitation was so brief, she might not have noticed it except all her senses were on edge, ready to catch him in a lie. “No. I couldn’t unlock a portal just for you. And now that I know the havoc you have in mind, I’d be even more remiss to let you tear open secrets that have stood for thousands
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