Page 47 of War Queen
She cut the old woman a fierce gaze. “How can you say that so easily? You love him too!”
“I say thisbecauseI love him. He should go to the gods. There’s no place for him here.”
Salara shook her head. “How can there not be a place for him?” she cried. “He is my lord justice! He gave his life for Mercia!”
“He can have my place,” Mikael said, silencing them both.
Catherine and Norah both stopped and gaped at him in surprise.
“What?” the grandmother said breathlessly.
“Am I not king of Mercia?” he asked.
Her grandmother gave a faint nod. “Yes.”
“Do I have a place?” It was likely not a place planned for him, but he’d claim it all the same.
The old woman pressed out a breath. “Well… I… I suppose, but…”
He took Salara’s hand and his eyes locked with hers. “When I die, I’ll return to Kharav, to the earth from which I came. You can give him my place.”
Her lower lip trembled, and she brought his hand up and kissed it.
He looked at the untouched plate in front of her. “Are you finished?”
She nodded.
He stood and pulled her up. “Lady Catherine,” he said with a polite nod to her grandmother, and led Salara from the dining hall.
She clung to him as they walked.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded and wiped her face. “I shouldn’t have been so harsh with her. She does love Alexander. And she truly believes I’m keeping him from his glory.”
“I know,” he said.
She stopped them. “What do you think?”
He’d been hesitant to weigh in on this matter. He cast his gaze around and let out a long exhale. He hoped he didn’t come to regret this, but… “The Bear doesn’t care about glory. He would have wanted whatever you wanted.”
“I love you, Mikael. This isn’t… This doesn’t mean—”
“I know,” he said, quieting her.
Her breath came easier. “And you?” she asked. “Is it really what you want—to return to the earth of Kharav when you die?”
He gave a frown. “It’s what I’ve always expected. But… I also want whatever you want.”
She threaded her fingers between his. “I want us to never be parted.”
He tilted his head to one side and then the other. “Well, we may have to share an eternal bed then, as I’ve just given mine away.”
A laugh escaped through her tears. “I’d love to share an eternal bed with you.”
He smiled, and they picked their walk back up again. “Does this mean I have to deal with the Bear in the afterlife as well?”
“You don’t even believe in the afterlife.”
