dragged me down. It weighed on me. I could still see him sometimes in my dreams. My heart hurt.
“The queen,” I answered, “is the most powerful piece. It can be moved in any one straight direction.”
Cadeyrn’s hands tightened on my shoulders, and I exhaled, the sound shaky. With little effort, the prince turned me, his grey-blue gaze peering down into mine. The flames from the hearth highlighted his features, hollowing his cheeks and sharpening the planes of his face and chest. “You did right today. You used two future queens, moving them into a position that would protect a king. It solidified two alliances while opening your country up for aid. First rule of leadership: never question your decisions.”
My gaze searched his. “And you think I question it?”
Cadeyrn’s lips twitched. “You question everything.”
For a long moment, we stared at each other, our chests rising and falling with each breath, my gaze sliding to the pendant around Cadeyrn’s neck. He was right. I felt bad for suggesting he marry two women, one of them his wife’s sister.
“I never meant to tarnish the memory of your wife,” I whispered.
Cadeyrn’s hands dropped. “You sully nothing. What’s expected of me now has nothing to do with my past. It’s about solidifying power for Sadeemia, strengthening this country against attack. It’s business.”
“There can be no love in war and politics,” I whispered.
They were Cadeyrn’s words, said to me once in a desert. He said nothing, his shuttered gaze moving to my shorn hair. It was growing back, but it still only came to my chin. There was heat in the prince’s gaze, heat I hadn’t noticed before.
His hand lifted, his palm gripping my elbow before sliding down to my hand, leaving fire in its wake. “Your power overwhelms you. Today in the Hall of Light, you gave your power control. It should be the other way, Aean Brirg.”
I shook my head while tugging on my hand. My stomach churned. “You can’t control nature. You can only channel it.”
Cadeyrn’s gaze caught mine. “Do you really believe that?” He motioned at his bed. “I could channel my power, allow the steel to control me, use me as a conduit. But if I did, I wouldn’t be standing here now.” His gaze went once more to my hair. “The vines gave you a crown today, made you a queen of the forest. It’s a harsh world, ruling. They’re giving you permission to control them. They trust you.”
I stared at him, his hand on mine no longer bothering me. My fascination overrode it. “Show me.”
His hand tightened on mine, his free hand sliding up into my hair to cup the back of my head. It startled me at first until I felt his power, a distinct hum that ran just beneath his skin.
“I control my power,” he told me. “It does not control me. Look at me.” His hand tightened on the back of my head, his fingers digging into my skull. My eyes met his. The blue depths had faded to grey, like steel. I could taste metal in my mouth, and I gagged.
The prince’s jaw tensed. “Steel is power. It is strength and endurance. It has weaknesses, but it’s a brutal strength that can overcome much. It is honest strength, a power that can discern lie from truth.” The metal taste in my mouth grew, causing my stomach to tighten, nausea sweeping me. “In this moment,” the prince said, “you are steel. In this moment, you could lift anything, slice through anything, or overpower anything. You do not doubt your strength. You embrace it. You give it confidence.”
Cadeyrn pulled my face closer to his, the grey in his eyes fading, taking on a turquoise hue that frightened me. I tried pulling away, but his strength was too much. “Now feel your power,” he commanded. “Your power comes from something much deeper than steel. It is life, rebirth, and passion. The vines came to you today, giving you aid when you needed it. For a moment, they controlled you. Control them now.”
His hand turned my head, causing
Annabel Joseph, Cara Bristol, Natasha Knight, Cari Silverwood, Sue Lyndon, Renee Rose, Emily Tilton, Korey Mae Johnson, Trent Evans, Sierra Cartwright, Alta Hensley, Ashe Barker, Katherine Deane, Kallista Dane