Page 145 of Somber Prince

“You’re trembling.” He planted a kiss in my hair, sliding a soothing hand up and down my back while supporting me with the other.

“I still can’t believe it,” I breathed out. “I…I’m afraid they’ll stop us any minute.”

“They wouldn’t dare go against the queen’s orders.”

I sighed, wishing I had his confidence. “Was it her order, though? What exactly did she say?”

“She never spoke to me. I didn’t even see the queen after that first meeting upon our arrival in Kalmena. General Tanari was the one who released me. But I made it clear to her earlier that I would never leave Kalmena without you. She knew, and she still ordered my release and exile. She won’t stop us now. You’re safe.” He nuzzled the side of my face, pressing me tighter to him.

“Why do you think she changed her mind?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. She does have a very good reason to hate me.”

“Does she?”

His chest expanded with a deep breath. “The queen blames me for my father’s death. I was the one who removed the dagger from his body, allowing his spirit to cross into the afterlife.”

“Is there really an afterlife?” I asked, running my fingers over his hair. It’d been washed and braided into a single plait, instead of his usual hairstyle.

“In Nerifir, there is.”

“How do you know?”

“Because people have returned from it before. Some have even met the gods,” he replied simply, as if it was a well-known fact. “Maybe Mother understood me, after all. Maybe she doesn’t hate me as much as she thought she did.”

I let him think that, though I had a different idea. I’d seen the hatred in the queen’s heart. I’d felt it. It was too dark and heavy, too solid to wear off in the short time since we spoke.

The only humane emotion in her had been her pity for me. And I wondered if that was what had changed her mind in the end. She couldn’t forgive her own son. But she could relate closely to the suffering she’d be condemning me to if he died.

I could be wrong, of course, so I kept it to myself. Whatever the queen’s motivation was, it led to Rha being free and alive. And to us being together now.

The guards at the city gate blocked our way, but General Tanari, who was escorting us, gestured to them to let us pass. The heavy gate opened, and Rha carried me out into the desert night beyond. A camel and several horses waited for us at the gate, for Rha and his escort. The queen was sending her guards with us, to make sure Rha made it to Teneris and stayed there.

Rha set me down so I could climb up the ladder into the seat on the camel’s back. The moment he made it up after me, he pulled me close to him again, wrapping an arm around me.

With the other hand, he sat his satchel down as our small caravan headed on its way.

“Hungry?”

“No.” I shook my head, taking a full breath for the first time in what felt like forever. “I should be. But I’m still too overwhelmed.”

For one long moment, he looked at me intensely, his eyes searching my face.

“My treasure,” he exhaled, taking my face between his hands. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

He kissed my forehead, then my eyes, one after the other, then my cheeks. His kisses were light, with a soft scrape of his rough, damaged skin against mine.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get to ask you to kiss me again,” he whispered, his lips just a breath away from mine.

I didn’t wait for him to ask. I kissed his mouth, putting everything I felt into it. Even after the kiss ended, neither of us was willing to take our hands off each other. Rha ran his fingers over my necklace, then kissed the spot on my neck where a chain of the necklace circled it.

With the tips of my fingers, I gently traced the rough, sun-burned patches of skin on his face, arms, and shoulders. The sight of his injuries made my chest ache. I blinked, trying to keep the tears in.

“We’ll need to get you some good cream for this.”

“It’ll heal soon enough.” He slipped a hand under my necklace, cupping my breast. “As will the tendrils.”

“Will they grow back?” I arched into his touch. Everything momentarily became secondary to that. His hands on me felt real, tangible, and true—we were both alive. And we were together.