Ara would have recognized that voice anywhere. When his grip on her loosened, she turned in his arms, lifting her eyes to his. “Let me go.”
He cocked his head, dangerous eyes flashing. “I told you to leave Cana, that I’d send my men to hunt you if you didn’t.”
“That was only hours ago, Eirik. Give a girl some time.”
“Yes.” His eyes darkened. “But why have you come back to my door?”
She couldn’t think with her chest pressed against his, with his fingers splayed against her back. “Eirik…”
“I should kill you, spy.”
“I came to save your life.”
His grip on her loosened until he stepped back and lowered the sword. “I do not need a Belaen witch to save me from my enemies.”
A crash sounded as the front door opened. Eirik pulled Ara against the side of the house and put a finger to his lips. They listened until heavy steps faded away and the door slammed shut.
“Audun is already here,” Ara whispered. “You know.”
“Of course, I know.” He peered around her into the street. “I made a mistake the day I put him in charge of my warriors. A warlord is nothing without the loyalty of his men.” His body sagged against the wall. “It seems I am now nothing.”
“He wants you dead.” It wasn’t a question.
Eirik nodded. “That is not a new development. There is a reason peace talks between Cana and the rest of the Six Kingdoms fail every time, no matter how many Edmund Kents they send. Those of us who touch power do not hold it for long. We all think we can be different, that our men will be the ones whose loyalty does not shift like the sands of Madra. When a kingdom only breeds assassins and warriors, there can be no other life but war.”
In all the time Ara had been with Eirik, he’d never explained Cana in such a way, a way that put vulnerability in his eyes. He’d deny it until his last breath, but she’d forever remember how he’d looked to her when everything he’d built crumbled away.
“Just because one man wants you dead, doesn’t mean you’ve lost your power.”
His intensity burned into her. “Audun would not move unless he was assured of victory, unless he had the support of my warriors.”
“Fight him.”
“What?”
Ara pointed to the sword. “Run that through his belly and see who the men are loyal to then.”
His fingers grazed her cheek. “Who are you, Ara?”
Before she could answer, yelling erupted from inside as something crashed.
Eirik moved away from Ara, still holding her sword. “They’re waiting for me. I have to get in there.”
“That’s what they want.” If he faced Audun and his men, she worried he wouldn’t make it out.
“I don’t have a choice.” He met her gaze once more. “Not if you want the Belaen to live.”
The Belaen. Edmund was inside.
A smile curved Ara’s lips. She’d seen Edmund’s magic in a fight. Audun didn’t know what he was messing with.
“I’m here, Edmund.” Ara whispered the words, knowing they’d reach Edmund inside the house and let him know he wasn’t alone, that Belaens stuck together.
If anything happened to Edmund Kent, Cana would have two kingdoms to fend off. He meant different things to the queens of Bela and Madra, important things. They both loved him like family.
And Ara wouldn’t let them down.
“Where are you going?” Eirik hissed as Ara backed away from him, stepping from the shadows.
She didn’t have an answer he’d like, so she refused to answer at all. The moment he took Edmund, Audun became more than an enemy of Eirik’s.
Ara’s eyes softened for just a moment as she stared at the man she’d spent the past year falling in love with. How many times had she watched his face as he slept, skimming the pads of her fingers along his skin? How often had she melted into his arms, the only safe place in Cana?
Or so she’d thought.
But she was not one of them, and she never would be. She’d betrayed him, lied to him. They’d never had a future, but now, in this moment, they stood on the same side. “I don’t trust you,” she whispered.
Pain flashed across his face, but he didn’t respond as the rain pounded against them.
“But I need you.” A plan formed in her mind, one that could get them all killed. Yet, when she held out a hand to Eirik, he took it, letting her risk both their lives.