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"What about you?" I ask when I find my voice "Won’t Atroth want you to be with soh Lorn said Kyol refused the life-bond, it hurts to say her nahten into a thin, apologetic so of hter of Srillan is a good match for me--but I will neverknohy?" If Atroth knows Kyol loves ed the law, ned h "I’ and there’s no evidence to support it, I think he’ll continue to ignore us"

But if he does say so

"Will you lose your position?" I ask

"There is a chance of that I would like" He stops, closes his eyes When he opens they there "I need a few days You’ll need to tell us what you know about the rebellion We’ll find its leaders and take the to listen If he doesn’tif he won’t allow us to be together, I’ll leave the Court I’ll stay with you"

Everything I want, dangled in front of me like a carrot

"And if the war doesn’t end?" I ask, my voice quiet

"If we take out the son of Jorreb, it will"

I have thearound my neck My heart constricts I love Kyol--always have, alill--but I can still feel Aren’s lips, desperate againsta promise to come for me, a promise that, somehow, I knoould keep I’ve spent the last feeeks trying to get away fro fantastic? I’ve spent ten years searching for someone to fill the spot in my heart meant for Kyol, and when I finally find a contender, he’s an enemy and he’s fae

Why the hell can’t I fall in love with a human?

I suck in a breath No No way I don’t love Aren I can’t because, dairls, the ones who have twoafter them but can’t make up their minds who to choose If you can’t decide who you love h So I don’t have feelings for Aren I won’t

But I don’t want hier betrayal: giving the i it to myself?

"McKenzie?"

"I want this to be over," I say

Kyol lets out an audible sigh and tension drains frolass of wine aside and pulls ertips trace uptickles the tiny hairs there before shi down my spine

"I’ve missed this," he murmurs "I didn’t realize how much I would" His thumbs ives me a rare set so a kiss to my forehead A chaos luster strikes down the side of my face His lips trail it, then hover millimeters away fro in my veins I close the distance between us He doesn’t resist His lips slant hard acrossinto me My heart thumps, startled by the intensity of the kiss I half expect him to stop This is the point when he usually pulls back, unwilling to get carried away, so I bracefor a cold rush of air

He doesn’t stop His silver eyes turn stormy, and it sinks in that he really ether, with the king’s blessing or without it

Finally