Page 151 of Burn Her They Said
I drop my gaze to where the delicately woven silk slips between my fingertips, reveling in the way our combined scent lingers on my skin when I pull away from him.
“You created this to keep a piece of us close.”
He nods and places his wide palm over the back of my hand as he pulls it to rest over the base of his neck before pressing in. “Right here. Right at my pulse point. The place where you would nuzzle up against me in your sleep.”
“You are the most sentimental being.” I flex my fingers for emphasis.
“Guilty.”
“How long have you worn this?” My voice betrays me, breaking before I finish the question.
“Since I picked it up from the Imperial jeweler after the first meeting His Majesty required I attend at the Palace. After we had been?—”
“Separated.”
He nods before tipping his head to look up at me through his lashes.
I pull in a deep breath as it becomes more and more difficult to maintain our eye contact. “Meaning you have worn this every time I have seen you since.”
“Every moment I wasn’t bathing. Or the night you used my chest as a pillow in your sleep.”
“My sleep? Were you not also sleeping?”
His shoulder rises in dismissal. “I might have savored the moment before I drifted off again.”
We stand, staring at one another over the pebbled shore, breathing each other in as he waits for me to rewrite what I knew of our history, replacing old assumptions with the knowledge that Varic has carried this token of our time together. Every day. For years.
He looks at me with an expression confirming everything I could ever question.
More than words, or this sentimental history with a strip of my clothing.
Because he’s looking at me as if I am the most valuable thing in the world to him.
And he would do anything to ensure my safety.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Annovia
Three Days Later
The Annovian Castle looms before us, eerily pristine with its expertly planted rows of vibrant green trees, while perfectly trimmed flower bushes surround the gargantuan white stone building. I stare at every meticulous detail as the carriage curves around the wide, white gravel drive with a large, round pond in the center across from the castle’s entrance.
The grounds here feel surreal in comparison to the Palace, where the only vibrant color comes from the pine trees surrounding our mountainous landscape. Even the innocuous urge to explore the forest feels different here, tinged with curiosity, rather than belonging.
Cirrin retracts the cool mist of his healing now that our carriage has come to a halt, angled with a direct view of the Emperor’s carriage, where his Guards assist him in exiting the coach. He hunches over with a cough before straightening to peer up at the bright white castle, then he spins to face me with an expression pinched with derision. His piercing gray eyes find and pin mine, and my body revolts, slamming back against the cushion.
Everyone in the cabin sways as Lars jumps down to open the door, and Fray waits on the opposite side of the stairs, wearing a crooked smile in greeting.
“Are you ready?” Varic asks, to which I nod in response.
His Majesty pointedly watches when I stand, and I force my gaze ahead to prevent my eyes from straying to Varic. Lars offers his hand, and I pull in a breath when he ushers me to the bright world outside.
The air is thick with moisture—far more than we are accustomed to this time of year. My skin sticks and pulls with every movement inside this velvet prison Drusilla insisted on dressing me in.
I stride toward His Majesty, who waits impatiently under the watch of Wyrth and the tiny spy perched over his shoulder. His black cape billows from his squared shoulders while his Guards assess the area with hardened glares.
“We have arrived, my little witch.” The Emperor stares down at me, and Raki points its stinger in my direction.
