Iron Crowned Page 0,63

You would have found some way, some justification for taking that drastic step, just like you got me to go after this in the first place."

Much of the humor had faded from Dorian's face now. "And would you have gone after it if you'd known?"

"No."

He shrugged. "Well, there you have it."

I was aghast. "That's it? How the hell can you be so lax about this? How can you act like it's okay to have tricked me from the beginning - you and that hag? How can you claim to love me and lie to me?"

"I do love you," he said. "More than you know. I did this for your own good."

"You did it for your own good," I snapped. "I can't believe I fell for it again. You've done this before, and now I'm done. Done with you. Done with all of this. I don't need your help anymore. I'll finish this fucking war on my own."

"Eugenie," warned Kiyo softly. He didn't contradict me, not in front of Dorian, but I understood the subtext. It was the point he'd made before: not to spurn Dorian's military help.

Dorian scoffed, sharing that sentiment. "Of course you need me. If you can get past your hurt pride, you'll see that we're in this together. Use the crown however you want, but be reasonable so that the two of us can finally end this war."

My voice was low and dangerous when I spoke. I was furious that he could be so condescending, that he assumed he could just smooth this all over. "There is no more us."

"Now you're just overreacting," he said. "We need to finish this war together, and we need to be together, period. We're meant to be."

"No," I said. "We're done. It's over."

I could see from his face that he didn't take that seriously either. He didn't get it. His ego wouldn't allow him to. Before he could respond, Kiyo lightly touched my arm. "Be careful. Look what you're doing."

I glanced around. The wind was rising and falling, making the apple trees sway back and forth. Dark clouds began to gather above. It wasn't uncommon for my emotions to unconsciously affect the weather, but the fact that I could do it in a land under someone else's control was a sign of how much my power had grown. If Dorian had wanted sunny weather, it should have stayed that way. The realization of what I could do was heady. Nonetheless, I pushed back, calming the air and dissipating the storm clouds.

But Dorian wasn't concerned about any of that. His attention had snapped to one small gesture: Kiyo's touch on my arm. I'm not sure how Dorian knew - maybe just the way Kiyo and I stood near each other - but in that moment, Dorian realized what had happened between Kiyo and me. And that, more than any of the arguments here, was what finally broke that laid-back attitude. His face turned to stone.

"Oh," he said to Kiyo, voice completely devoid of emotion. "I see. It's your turn again." Outrage filled me at the insinuation that I could be passed around - a sentiment not unlike what Kiyo himself had expressed. Dorian allowed me no chance to counter. "Well, if that's how it's going to be, then that's how it's going to be. You may be right that there's no us, but we are still in this war together. My armies are too enmeshed, and I can hardly let Katrice think I'm backing down. Dareth!"

Dorian's voice rang out, loudly enough that one of the guards behind the glass doors heard. He swiftly opened the doors and stepped outside.

"Your Majesty?"

"Please escort the Thorn Queen and her pet from the premises. They are denied hospitality. Do not admit them again. Should any of her household come, they may be allowed into my presence." His eyes flicked to me. "Send Rurik as your proxy for all military matters. He was doing all the work anyway." Dorian's attention went back to his guard. "You have your orders."

Dareth had trouble keeping the shock off his face. I had become a fixture around here, treated nearly the same as Dorian. After a few moments, Dareth composed his features, his loyalty to his king overriding any disbelief he might feel. He turned to me, expression formal. He gestured inside.

"Your Majesty."

The respect was there, but the message was clear. I was being thrown out and could see Dareth practically praying I wouldn't resist. I didn't, and while a dozen