“I do. If we cannot sail to Seacadore, then it is the safest place in Islor for us until Her Highness has been adequately trained.”
Zander turns to me.
I show him my back. I haven’t forgotten that just five minutes ago he had plans to leave me.
His soft sigh carries. “We will get you there. I cannot promise we will stay.”
Gesine presses her lips together and then nods.
“How have you learned to navigate my city so quickly, High Priestess?”
I bite my tongue and refrain from reminding him that it is no longer his city.
“You have more allies than you realize.” Gesine smiles at me. “As do you, Your Highness. Many allies and many who wish to see you as their queen.”
My mind swirls. “Please. No more Highness. No more queen. No more Princess Romeria.” I’ve had enough of it all. “It’s just Romy.”
“Very well, Romy.” She dips. “You will return to this place and bring hope for the people. But we must go now.” A moment later, as if she could sense it coming, wood splinters somewhere above.
We flee Cirilea, the exiled king of Islor and I running side by side.
And yet worlds apart.
Chapter Thirty-One
Sofie’s stomach was a twisted ball of anxiety and fear as she rose to watch the Fate of Fire circle the coffin, his narrowed eyes on the still forms. This was not normal. Malachi never paced in such a way. “Has something happened?”
Malachi traced Romeria’s cheekbone with his lengthy index finger. Even in death, with the token still embedded in her flesh, her body remained perfectly preserved. He refused to allow Sofie to remove it and bury Romeria’s corpse outside beneath the oak tree. “She knows what she must do.”
Sofie’s heart skipped a few beats. “And she will do it?” Romeria would finally claim the immense power radiating inside her to tear the Nulling’s fold? Her hopeful gaze landed on her husband’s face. With the door to the nymphaeum opened, Malachi promised to unite them. Here, or in Islor, it mattered not, if she and Elijah were together.
Malachi’s lips unfurled in a fiendish smile. “Eventually, she must. She will have no other choice.”
Acknowledgments
These last few months spent in another world with Romeria have been thrilling and scary, and I’m so glad I took this chance. The story has brought back my love of writing at a time when I needed it most. Writing is a lonely endeavor and yet no book ever reaches readers’ hands without help. I’d like to thank the following people for their help:
Jennifer Armentrout, for encouraging me to “scratch that itch” and venture back into fantasyland.
Jenn Sommersby, for your talent with this beast and your patience with my many tics. As always, you were a delight to work with.
Chanpreet Singh, for working your magic to catch all the little errors that slip through the cracks.
Hang Le, for nailing this cover (and every cover you tackle for me.)
Nina Grinstead and the team at Valentine PR, for your passion, help, and expertise with spreading the word.
Steph Brown and Justine Wood from the Bookish Box, for giving this book some extra attention through your awesome book subscription box.
Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary Group, for the laughs, the support, and the eagerness (and the angry naked cat GIFs.)
Tami, Sarah, and Amélie, for keeping Tucker’s Troop alive and a fun, safe place to be.
My family, for delivering plates of food to my cave and tolerating me even when my thoughts are on another planet.
About the Author
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
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She is the internationally bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths, Burying Water and The Simple Wild series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, Be the Girl, and Say You Still Love Me. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.
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K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto. Learn more about K.A. Tucker and her books at katuckerbooks.com