Page 46 of Between Two Kings

“Do you have it?”

Evelyn frowned. “Do I have what?”

“The letter.”

Leo glanced at Evelyn. Tem wondered suddenly whether he’d asked her the exact same question. If she knew anything about him, he had.

“I burned it,” Evelyn said primly.

“Why? Seems like something you would hold on to.”

Evelyn tilted her head. “And why would I do that?”

“So you could show it to Leo. He has a right to see what his father was saying on his behalf.”

“That letter represents a terrible memory for me. I did not wish to see it ever again.”

“But if Leo—”

“Tem,” Caspen cut her off. “Enough.”

The pulses stopped too.

Throughout this entire exchange, Caspen had said nothing. But he chose to speak now, and for once, Tem fell silent. She was taking this too far, and she knew it. But she couldn’t seem to stop herself. It was a bizarre story; Evelyn’s reaction made no sense to her. If Leo had tried to break up with her using a letter, she would have marched right up to the castle to confront him face-to-face. Clearly, Evelyn had done no such thing. How could she let Leo go so easily? From everything Tem knew of their relationship, he’d truly loved her. To be loved by Leo was a privilege—an honor. And Evelyn had thrown that away. Why?

Caspen’s voice was suddenly in her mind:

It is not your responsibility to speak for the human king.

I know that. I’m just trying to figure out why—

Their relationship is none of your concern.

Tem had nothing to say to that. Leo’s relationship with Evelyn was very much her concern. She was the one who had orchestrated their relationship. Concern was all she felt when she looked at them, and not just for selfish reasons. Tem needed them to work. She needed Evelyn to be the love of Leo’s life. Because if she wasn’t, everything she’d sacrificed was for nothing.

Apologize.

Tem looked at Caspen in disbelief. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order.

No.

Tem. You have offended them.

She had to physically stop herself from scoffing at that. Perhaps she had offended Evelyn, but Tem could tell from the look on Leo’s face that he’d wanted to ask the same questions she was asking but hadn’t. Was he suspicious of his newly returned love? Of the truth that might come out if he pried too hard? Relationships were built on trust. Leo had made Tem swear never to lie to him. Clearly he’d made no such demands of Evelyn.

“Forgive me,” Tem said stiffly. It wasn’t an apology, but it was the most she could manage.

Evelyn immediately gave her a slow, saccharine smile. “There is nothing to forgive,” she said smoothly. “Of course you’re curious about what happened. Anyone would be, in your position.”

Tem didn’t like the sound of that. Her position? And what position was that, exactly?

Before she could ask, Evelyn clarified: “As someone who was formerly engaged to Leo, I can understand how you feel.”

Tem very much doubted that Evelyn understood how she felt. It was an impossibility. And Tem hadn’t just been engaged to Leo—she’d been married to him. It was a specific distinction, and one that Evelyn had purposefully ignored. She was diminishing their relationship, attempting to minimize what they had together. Tem felt a wild urge to retaliate, to say something that would remind Evelyn just who she had been to Leo. Instead, she raised her hand and slowly brushed a curl from her face, positioning her fingers so that the slim silver band on her ring finger flashed in the candlelight.

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. Leo’s widened.

Tem knew full well that the gesture was not lost on either of them. It was a dangerous thing to do, but Tem was feeling dangerous. Nothing about this conversation had satisfied her. She was in no mood to indulge it any longer.