Bride of the Traitor (The Prophecy of Sisters #1) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,89

for him as well.

“Do you want her because she holds great beauty or do you want her because you have feelings inside of your heart for her?” I ask.

Merek’s brows draw together. “You of all people know that it matters not, Elias. My bride will not be common just as yours was not. Though, Sybilla holds no royal titles, she was chosen by the gods and that trumps anything else.”

Nodding, I agree with his words. A bride bound to you by the gods means more than any man-created title imaginable. However, I cannot let my cousin’s wishes and desires go completely unfulfilled.

“If you are so determined to marry for politics, who says she cannot be your paramour?”

Merek’s eyes flash with anger. “My father was no better than yours, Elias. In fact, I think mine was worse as he paraded his women in front of my mother, forced her to suffer them at his dining table night and day. I would never, not to a woman that I’d given my vows to.”

“Even if you held deep affection for the woman as you obviously are forming with this maid?”

Merek shakes his head. “I would not.”

“You would rather suffer? You would rather watch her marry another, carry his babes, suffer as she cares for him in a way where she would and could care for you instead?”

Merek lets out a sigh, he takes a step back and I watch as he runs his hand through his hair. “I would rather the man that could be hers, be wholly hers. If she were my paramour, I could never give her all of me and at the same time, I could not give my wife all of me either.”

Lifting my hand, I clap my cousin on the shoulder. I want to smile, tell him how proud I am of him. He is a good man, the exact opposite of our fathers.

He will be a good husband, a better father, and since I am the one who will decide his fate when it comes to that marriage, he will be surprised to know that if it is the white-haired maid he wants as his own, I will agree to the union.

He’s not ready for that information yet. I want to watch this unfold, see if he falls in love with more than just her rare beauty and instead, falls for the heart that beats beneath the surface.

Turning around, I find the eyes of my own bride. Holding her gaze, I realize that I’ve done just that. I’ve fallen for the heart beneath her beautiful surface. She is sweet and kind, her body welcoming to me, but more importantly, her smile and heart even more so.

Yes, she’s melted the iron around my heart. She has caused me to feel. The witches may have lifted the burden of my father’s mistakes, but Sybilla has made me feel again and that is something that no witch could make happen with a spell. Only the woman bound to me by the gods could do that.

Only Sybilla.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

ELIAS

Tugging Sybilla closer to my chest, I lean in and whisper against the shell of her ear. “Welcome to, Beallenau, sweeting. This will be home for a while.”

Lifting my gaze to the castle in front of us, I can’t help but smile. I wonder what she thinks. It is newer than the castle in Aerilon, though not quite as large.

It is one of my favorite holdings, and conquering it was a great joy when I was finally able to claim it as my own again, bringing it back into my family name. Sybilla gasps at the sight in front of her, and I can’t help but feel my pride bubble to the surface as my chest puffs out a bit.

“It’s stunning, Elias. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she breathes.

There are mountains behind it, protecting its flanks from intruders. The only way anyone could breach the back of the castle would be through magic, or unmatched knowledge of the land and how to navigate the mountainous range.

Even then, some of the most knowledgeable experts have perished trying to do just that. This is another reason why Sybilla will be held here while I fight a short distance away in Llyne. She will be protected in the castle of Beallenau. As well-protected as she can be without me standing right at her side, that is.

“You will be safe here,” I inform her.

Sliding my hand from her ribs down to her belly, I press firmly