“Ruby, I told you I was—”
“Tired, right.” I sneered, “I got it.”
“But you’re not going to let me get any rest?” he prompted sarcastically.
“No! I’m not. I know what you’re really upset about—it’s the sentry thing, isn’t it?” I demanded. Ash didn’t reply. He just glared back at me, his cheeks flushing red.
“Well, I feel like crap about it too!” I cried, determined that if he wasn’t going to get it off his chest, it certainly wasn’t going to hold me back. “I’m terrified of the same thing happening to me! I can see what it’s like for Hazel—she can’t go anywhere near her friends, or Tejus. Their relationship is breaking apart because of it, and I couldn’t bear that to happen to us. The whole thing is scary and…well, just plain weird, and it wouldn’t be my ideal way of having a relationship. I don’t want to be a sentry, and I don’t want to go through the same thing that’s happening to Hazel. But I love you, and I’m willing to at least try to overcome whatever gets thrown in our way so at least this relationship can have a chance! It’s difficult enough with us being from different dimensions, and now you’re a king, for crying out loud. But none of that has ever held me back, because I’m not a…coward, but if you’re going to push me away and not even try to see if we can make the best of things, then I really don’t even know why I’m even bother—”
I broke up as Ash started laughing. Before I could respond, he stood up, crushing me in his arms. I was momentarily taken aback—still angry and upset, it took me a moment to come to my senses and hug him back.
“Do you have any idea how crazy in love with you I am, Shortie?” he murmured into my hair.
Oh.
I hadn’t been expecting that.
“You just needed to hear me say it too, didn’t you?” I asked softly.
“Yeah, I did.”
His grin faded and his lips met mine, kissing me softly, taking away all the anger and frustration, and just leaving me with molten insides that only cared that his kisses never stopped.
We spent the entire evening wrapped in each other’s arms – doing nothing but kissing and occasionally talking. For once, we had spent the last few moments of the evening discussing anything other than the trials and the entity— instead, about all the things that didn’t really matter, that meant so much more than the things that did. We lay on his bed, my head in the crook of his arm. I was starting to fall asleep, lulled by Ash’s low, murmuring voice.
“Hey,” I whispered, before I became too drowsy and fell asleep. “Thanks for sending Ragnhild to the temple with us. It was really sweet of you.”
“What do you mean?” Ash asked with a yawn.
“Ragnhild—you sent him because you couldn’t go?” I repeated.
“No…no, I didn’t.”
“Oh.”
Maybe I misunderstood what Ragnhild had said?
“I thought you did,” I replied quietly.
When I looked up to share my concerns with Ash, he was already fast asleep. Maybe the lieutenant was another sentry that we needed to keep an eye on…
Jenus
Nymphs.
I snorted in disgust. I had just seen another one dancing through the trees in one of the courtyards of the Seraq palace. It was the third I’d seen during my exploration of Queen Trina’s domain. It didn’t really surprise me that she associated with such pointless, irritating creatures. Tejus and Varga had often laughed about the goings-on at the palace, but had never been explicit about their nature…just enough to whet my appetite as a young man, to make me jealous beyond all reasoning, as if I was missing out on the true wonders that Nevertide had to offer. It had been infuriating. And I had hated them both for it.
The castle had very little to offer in the way of interest. It was undoubtedly beautiful, far superior than Hellswan and some of the other royal abodes I had visited with my father, but I was interested in the darker side of Queen Trina—and so far, I had witnessed nothing but potted plants, parrots and indulgent, lavish luxuries.
There was only one room that piqued my interest.
I stood outside it, listening to the sounds of the palace, ensuring that no one found me here. I was a few doors down from what I assumed was Queen Trina’s main chamber, and her office next door. The door to the room was locked, and when I tried to use True Sight to see what lay within, I’d been unable to…which meant that she’d put a barrier around it. To maintain that barrier while she was absent from the castle itself was impressive, doubly so because she was currently at the Imperial trials. I would have imagined that she would need all her powers centered and focused to overcome whatever the doddering, foolish Impartial Ministers threw her way. It made the room, and its contents, extremely interesting.