Page 135 of Ignite
Moros’s grin only grows. Adrian is playing right into his hand.
“Even as acting regent, you don’t have a right to sit in the place that’s reserved for me,” he continues breathlessly. “Now that Lu?—”
“Adrian,” I hiss.
His head jerks back, chest heaving as his gaze meets mine. I give him a look that sayscalm down, and his eyes widen, realizing his near-slip of tongue. He was about to call me Lunaria in front of Moros, which would cause our plan to crumble before it even began.
Moros still needs to believe I’m Amira. That I unknowingly stumbled into Penyth with untrained magic and decided to come back when Adrian showed up. That I had made a mistake.
And me coming back asLunariawould certainly complicate that.
“Ah, Amira Ramsey, a pleasure to see you again.” Moros’s slimy voice drifts over to me.
Behind me, Soren lets out a low growl—so quiet that Moros doesn’t react, as if he didn’t hear it at all.
Our last conversation in the trial flashes into my mind. Of him telling meMorossends his regards.
I know who he is.Heknows that I’m aware of it, too.
There’s no hiding. I know that I’m fae—that I have magic and enough knowledge to take the trial, even if he and Vidaris interfered before anyone could complete it. I swallow, reminded of the need to find Nightfall.
I can’t feel my magic right now, can’t feel if it’s slowly growing quieter and further from my grasp. Thishasto work. But all we need to convince him of is that, despite leaving, I came back for Adrian.
Moros shifts in his seat, perched on the edge as he continues, “I see you came home with my nephew.” His eyes flicker to Graylen before adding, “As did you, Snake.”
Graylen’s hands slide into his pocket with ease as he tilts hishead to Moros. If there was any infallible part of our plan to trick Moros into believing I’m still just Amira—foolishly in love with Adrian and playing the role of Royal Merchant’s daughter so well—it’s Graylen’s ability to stay relaxed beneath pressure.
“There was nothing for me in Penyth,” Graylen replies with a shrug. “Following Amira to keep her safe didn’t end when Adrian found us.”
Moros narrows his eyes. “Youfollowedher?”
My heart begins to race, but Graylen just hums lazily with a nod.
“Leaving my supposed fiancée to fend for herself wouldn’t have been a good look,” Graylen says with a smirk. “Not that I have a reputation that needs to be upheld, but I did what I had to for my king.”
The lie rolls so smoothly off Graylen’s tongue that if I didn’t know the truth, I’d believe every word he said.
Moros’s brows slowly raise, his gaze bouncing between the three of us.
“What?” Graylen shakes his head with a chuckle. “You couldn’t possibly think I wasn’t aware of her and Adrian’s relationship. Whose idea do you think our fake engagement was when King Avalon announced Adrian was to wed the Penyth princess?”
Insult Moros’s intelligence by insinuating he let something that major slip past him? Brilliant.
It works perfectly.
Moros’s eyes flash, and he clears his throat to say, “Of course I knew the engagement was a ruse.”
I hold my breath as Moros looks Graylen over from head to toe, searching for evidence of a lie. But Graylen doesn’t so much as blink.
“And you just…what?” Moros drawls, twirling his hand in the air. “Managed to survive in a kingdom of cruel magic and ruthless creatures?”
His gaze is on Graylen, but it’s Adrian who answers.
“Imanaged to survive,” Adrian says evenly. “Not only get back here alive, but bring both of them home safely, too.”
Moros considers this, his eyes drifting to Adrian. “You went over there with a lot more than just a girl with uncontrolled magic,” he answers. “None of which I see made it back with you to confirm any of what you’re saying. And out of everyone that went on the rescue mission with you, Reichardt is one who wouldn’t have stayed back bychoice.”
I bristle at the termrescuemission, but we expected this. We knew Moros would question us, and would need to believe the story we had spun. And if I learned anything from Reichardt, it’s that the best-told lies are woven in with the truth.
