Page 87 of Hearts on Fire

I hugged her again.

“What are you talking about?” She looked confused.

With a knock on the door, Gabrik entered, bringing Zenada her dinner.

The sun was hovering right over the horizon by now. There was no time for lengthy explanations. They would have to wait until tomorrow. But I had to tell her something.

“Have some food, sweetie.” I placed the tray into her lap, then filled a glass with water for her. “You have to take care of yourself, eat well, and stay warm. And don’t worry about a thing. Both you and Ahrit are safe. The future is ours. And we’ll color it in the brightest, most beautiful colors from now on.”

* * *

By the time I left Zenada’s room, the sun had set. Gabrik remained on guard by her door in the corridor, making me feel like I was leaving her in good hands for the night.

I walked through the sleeping castle of the Bozyr Peak. The signs of the chaos of the day were everywhere. The sunset had caught people in all possible places and positions. There were servants cowering in the corners, unsure whether to run or stay. Elex’s people were everywhere in the corridors, turned to stone by the sunset while searching the endless halls and floors for King Edkhar’s men.

Only Voron might be still awake somewhere, but I didn’t find him. Maybe he was too tired to roam the castle at night and ended up catching some sleep in one of the many luxurious beds in here.

I found my gargoyle king in the Throne Room. And he truly looked like he belonged there.

He stood by the window, looking out. His arms were crossed over his chest. He had his wings out as gargoyles often did at night, ready to fly at the first ray of sun in the morning if needed.

“Hi.” I climbed on the windowsill in front of him, bringing my face to his eye level.

His eyes were open. A deep crease between his eyebrows indicated the vast number of thoughts and worries he’d had roaming in his head as the sun had set. I was sure all of them were still there, keeping him awake. I wished to ease at least some of them.

I stroked the stone waves of his hair, then placed my hands on his cheeks.

“Guess who I found tonight, my love? Your great-great-grandmother. And she’s not Lady Amree, thank God. To be honest, it makes perfect sense. Between King Edkhar’s evil ways and Lady Amree’s tendency to terrorize her servants, I wondered where all your good qualities came from. Now I know. From Zenada. She is the other survivingsalamandrafrom the Sanctuary, the former lover of King Edkhar, remember? The fire dancer?”

I gave a moment for my words to settle in his stone head before continuing.

“She’s also your great-grandmother, as she is the future mother of King Ahrit. He is in her belly already. Your grandpa. You see, you can’t give birth to your own grandpa, of course. But you are filling in for your great-grandfather in the line of your ancestors, King Elex. Your namesake turns out to be you. It’s mind boggling, at first. But when you really think about it, it all makes sense. A son of King Edkhar and Lady Amree had fewer chances to grow into the ruler that the next king would have to be. There are some exceptions, but generally apples don’t fall far from the tree. You are the one who will bring the changes that this kingdom needs so badly.Youwill be the great king who will raise the next great monarch. So you, my love, are both the result and the beginning of the change for the better in the Mountains of Dakath. It looks like your life is a circle, Elex, not a straight line.”

I gently rubbed the crease between his eyebrows, wishing I could smooth it out.

“One worry less for you tonight. Your bloodline is not in danger. You’re not going anywhere soon. There is a life ahead of you. The life of a king. And…” I dropped my gaze to his chest. I couldn’t look into his stone eyes if I wanted to say the next words out loud, but confessions like this were so much easier to make when he was in this form. “I’ll be there for you if you’ll have me. Every step of the way.”

Holding on to his shoulders, I rose on my tiptoes and placed a kiss on his hard but warm lips.

“I love you, Elex. And by God, I’m so glad you’re not going to disappear on me anytime soon.” I smiled, kissing him one more time. “Have a good night, my darling. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Twenty-Five

AMBER

Aray of light caressed my face. I smiled at the slight tickle on my forehead and opened my eyes.

Elex crouched by the royal throne where I lay. Leaning over me, he brushed a strand of hair from my forehead.

The sun shone at him from the side, bringing out the burgundy highlights in the mahogany waves of his hair. His black eyes sparkled with fire from within.

I smiled wider and stretched my arms above my head.

Yesterday, Elex had the king’s throne brought here, to the Throne Room where it belonged. Since this was the room where I’d found him by the window last night, I’d decided to spend the night close to him and curled up on the wide throne covered with furs. Last night, it had looked comfy enough to my tired eyes. But my back and shoulders felt rather stiff after spending the night in such a position.

“Did I oversleep?” I squinted in the sunlight, reaching for him.

“A little.” He caught my hand and kissed it. “You look so beautiful this morning, my spark.”