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“Did it ever bother you when Alex would get you in the ring and have the soldiers bet on who would be the one to take you down?”
I look up from the fire to Carleah, who is supposed to be sleeping beside me. “I think I was so conditioned to believe that pride would be found in a fight,” I tell her truthfully. “My entire childhood was watching men get pummeled in the Nemoregno pit. It was a way of life for us.”
“But you were still a child when you came to Navalis. Didn’t it bother you? To be used like an attraction?”
“Not particularly,” I tell her. “Or at least not consciously. I wanted to make your family proud, Carleah, and if that meant tying an arm around my back and fighting, then I was happy to do it.”
She turns her face up to the stars above, lips pursed. “It was wrong, and I don’t think I realized it until tonight.”
“Carleah, had I not been willing to fight, I would have made my opinion known.”
“How? You literally couldn’t speak for yourself.”
I roll onto my side so I’m lying beside her. “I could speak for myself,” I remind her. “I chose not to.”
She shakes her head. “I’m sorry for the part my family played in making you feel like a headliner rather than an esteemed member of our guard.”
I reach down and pull her up then guide her into my lap. She straddles me, arms winding around my neck as my hands grip her hips. “Carleah, your family accepted me when I was no one. They took me in, no questions asked.”
“And made you fight just like your father did.”
Leaning forward, I press my lips to hers then pull back and rest my forehead against hers. “I was born to fight, Carleah.”
“Still, they—”
“They had no knowledge of my history,” I remind her. “So to them, it was all in good fun. And honestly? Knocking Alex on his ass is one of my favorite memories.”
She laughs softly, crystal eyes peering straight through me. “You deserve better.”
“I have you,” I tell her. “And you’re already far more than I deserve.”
Chapter 12
Carleah
We reach the shores of Soreno just before nightfall.
It’s a small alcove of land that leads into the kingdom by a guarded bridge that we won’t be using come morning. The last thing we need is for anyone to know we’re on the shores of Patrick’s kingdom.
I turn and look out at the water we just flew over. My brother could be a mere day behind us, and the urge to wait for him is far stronger than I thought it would be, given my anger at the way he handled Fort and my betrothal.
But Bowman is my only breathing blood relative. And if something happens to him before we re-connect, I don’t know that I will ever forgive myself.
“Carleah?”
I turn to look at Fort, who is watching me. “Yes?”
“Everything okay?”
“Thinking of Bowman,” I tell him truthfully, “But aside from that, I’m fine.”
The water is a deep blue, the same shade as a frozen pond. It’s truly a beautiful sight as the sunset paints the scene in shades of orange, purple, and yellow.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don’t,” I reply then grab a piece of meat from the pouch he offers me. I stare out into the distance at the land I can barely make out on the horizon. “Nemoregno?”
