Queen,” Calix said softly, gazing into the portal. “My Oracle. I know you can hear me. I ride for you. We didn’t get to finish what we started.”
A grin widened on his face, and he rode through the portal, his army behind him.
Chapter 58
“Tarek has been banished from Dar’ish.” Rowan rushed into my room right before dusk, his hair disheveled, his eyes wide and panicked.
“What?” I shouted, stumbling to my feet, trying to rub the vision from my eyes.
“The king has banished him. He’s collecting his things now. He sent me to retrieve you, Ana. He said he needs to speak with you.”
I nodded and went straight to Tarek’s quarters at the edge of the palace grounds. I banged on his door. He pulled it open and snatched me by my arm, hauling me quickly inside.
“Is it true?” I demanded.
“It’s true,” he replied, locking the door to his modest quarters. “I wouldn’t give up my secrets, so I was banished. I must leave before nightfall.”
“I’m coming with you,” I stated firmly.
Tarek stopped shoving stuff into his bag and turned slowly toward me, a smile on his face.
“I know you are. Do you think I’d really leave behind my fiancée?”
We’d never officially acknowledged who I was to him, and it sent goosebumps through my body, his words hitting me in the pit of my stomach.
“It’s hard to hear, isn’t it?” he murmured, brushing the hair away from my face. “Believe me, it’s hard for me too. I’d planned on killing you just months ago, and now here I am, trying to take you with me. Funny how things work, isn’t it? Did you tell Kellin?”
“I told him enough,” I whispered painfully, a tear leaking out of the corner of my eye. “He loves me.”
“And you feel for him. I know. I’ve found myself in a similar situation,” he mused, his now brown eyes sweeping my face, reminding me of Calix. It was almost like staring into his eyes again. “Don’t fret, my princess. I’ll remedy the situation for you. Come here.” He opened his arms for me, and I stepped wordlessly into them, warmth filling me entirely.
“Do you feel that, Ana?” he breathed out, his voice soft. “That’s our power together. What’s meant to be. What must be to end this. Are you ready to end this at any cost?”
“Yes,” I whispered as he tilted my face up to look at him, his brown eyes searching mine.
“Once we commit to this, there’s no turning back,” he murmured, his body now flush against mine. “Are you sure you want this? Are you sure you are ready for all that it entails? The running, the hiding while we figure things out, saying goodbye to your family, potentially giving up something you might find it hard to give?”
“Yes,” I said again, my heart hammering in my chest at what it meant. “Tarek, Calix rides for Dar’ish now. They’ll be at the edge of the kingdom tonight before midnight. We cannot let them enter the kingdom. If they take our cities, it’ll only be a matter of time before they make it to the palace and take my home. I-I must warn everyone.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You must. I must advise you to make as much peace with anyone as you need to because I’ll be taking you from Dar’ish tonight.”
“But I have to figh—”
“No, you don’t, Ana,” Tarek said passionately, his dark eyes sweeping my face quickly. “Sometimes it’s OK to just walk away.”
“You know I can’t do that. If there’s a chance to save my family then I have to take it, Tarek.”
“And you will, but you won’t be saving them tonight. You’ll be hurting yourself, possibly worse. You have to come with me. You know this, Ana.” His hands gripped my waist tightly.
“I’ll come with you after I’ve tried this last time.” I nodded sadly, thinking about what I’d be leaving behind. It had to be done though. There was a way out of this, and I had to find it. I wasn’t safe in Dar’ish any longer and neither were my people. If I was gone, it would pull the focus off them to finding me. And I’d give them a hell of a hunt. While mine and Calix’s bond felt weakened by the blood exchange with Tarek, I knew I had to complete the other steps to finish breaking away from him, including letting Calix set me free. “I’m ready to break away from the Mortae,” I said softly.
“Then let us