Page 47 of Tears of Gold

He taps his pen twice against a page. “Very well. But I want you to report more often. Have your aide set up a weekly schedule.”

“As you wish,” I drop my voice to a whisper, “Father.” It takes me a moment to rock to my feet and Vanrey comes to lift me by the elbow. My father’s voice freezes me.

“I assume you had good reason to hit him?”

Licking my dry mouth, I answer slowly. “As you said, it was j-just a small matter . . . between brothers.” For all these years he’s favored Anik, and punished any who dared to speak against him, but now he lets me off with just a warning? I don’t understand what’s changed.

Vanrey precedes me out the door, but I pause when the emperor speaks again. “Erritt.”

“Y-yes?”

“I tell you this as your father only. Next time, hit him harder.”

Beyond the door, out of my father’s line of sight, Vanrey hides a smirk behind one hand.

“Your Ma . . . Majesty,” I stammer, all possible answers skidding out of reach in shock.

“Dismissed.”

I bow and shuffle out. Vanrey closes the door behind me, his face a calm mask once more. “Shall we return to the academy?”

“We will.” A smile escapes my self-control. “But let’s stop by the royal library first and then I’d like to pick up some gifts since we’re here and the festival experience was ruined.”

Vanrey smiles and we head out.

∞∞∞

Harper turns up in my chambers mere minutes after our return from the capital. Perhaps he has planted charms in my rooms or the hallways? I’m certain Vanrey wouldn’t have allowed foreign charms in here, except for his own. Harper strides past Vanrey as he announces him, and it’s clear he’s worked himself into quite a state, judging by the angry flush on his cheeks and rigid posture.

“Let me leave,” he demands.

I take my time stripping off the court clothes and laying them over the back of a chair, glad to be free of the weight. Although I have assignments to do, all I can think about is crawling back into bed to ease my miserable body. Right after I hug Ava, that is. But the rogue is crushing my fragile joy.

“I didn’t ask y-you to . . . come in the f-first place,” I answer.

There’s a hard edge in his voice as he holds up his wrist, displaying my tracker charm. “You know what I mean. I want out.”

Oh, right. With everything that’s happened, I’d forgotten about threatening him against leaving. I slide between my sheets and lean against the headboard, trying to focus between waves of annoyance. The rogue has always had miserable timing.

“What w-was our deal?”

“To protect Ava.”

“For . . . how long?”

He clenches his jaw. “Until the Earth gate reopens.”

“I recall saying . . . that if you reneged on our d-deal, your punishments would revert . . . to the standard for kidnapping—”

“Fuck off, Erritt!” His voice rises, and his hands tremble. “I brought you back from the dead! You’d be a handful of pixie dust in the wind without me. That’s enough to pay off any sentence!”

Over his shoulder, Vanrey twitches with shock. He turns wide eyes my way, but I ignore him. I suppose he was bound to find out sooner or later.

Instead, I stare at our rogue. Strangely enough, one of the recent times he was in my bedroom comes to mind. He’d fallen asleep sprawled across the foot of my bed, exhausted from days of searching for Ava while I was on bed rest.

Although it chafed me to the bone I couldn’t join the search, it was also a relief to know he was out there, searching for her by Skye’s side. It hadn’t bothered me at all having him resting on my bed. If anything, it had been proof that everyone was home where they belonged.

Something tightens in my chest and I sigh, wishing we weren’t doing this right now. “It does count . . . for something, but . . . you can’t l-leave.” My pulse flutters dangerously, and the edges of the room fade into gray mist. Wouldn’t the rogue love knowing I’m weak as a kitten right now?