Page 56 of Tarnished Crown

Davin and I emerged from the tent to meet them. I wasn’t going to sit back and wait if my life was about to be flipped upside down yet again, and my cousin apparently felt the same.

We reached them at the same time as the Bear soldier. He handed a sealed envelope to Evander, who scanned the letter before crumpling it in his hand.

While his expression remained calm, I knew better. Agitation radiated off of him in waves.

“These negotiations are over.” His voice was eerily neutral when he spoke. “We will return to Bear immediately.”

My blood froze within my veins. I tried to meet Evander’s eyes, but he refused to look in my direction.

“Is this some sort of game you’re playing? Was this your plan all along, to taunt us?” Theo gritted the questions out through clenched teeth as he took several steps closer to Evander.

Pure, unadulterated anger rippled through the air as the two men stared one another down.

“Oh, Korhonan, I do wish I had planned to inconvenience you. It would have made this unexpected bit of news far more pleasant.” Evander gestured to Kirill and his other soldiers in the camp, who immediately began tearing down our tent and packing the few things we brought with us. “But, as you have always been so fond of reminding me, the Clan Duke’s word is law, and my father has ordered us home.”

Theo shook his head furiously. He muttered under his breath in Socairan, including a few potent curses. A bitter laugh escaped his full lips and he stared at the sky.

“I’m not sure how you did it, Evander, but--”

“Enough.” Arés cut Theo off. “It doesn’t matter who did this. The reality is that we were only here at Bear’s discretion. If they have decided to sever the negotiations, that is in their purview.”

Davin took a step closer to me, and I grabbed hold of his arm to keep myself steady. My mind was spinning. I had always known it was a possibility that I would have to go back, but I had made the mistake of hoping.

There was no way his father was alert enough to make this edict, right? Was it Lady Mairi, then? Why would she want to keep me at Bear?

Or was Theo right? Could it have been some ploy of Evander’s? To give us false hope and then rip it away?

Looking at the man now, I knew that wasn’t true. He had been just as surprised as the rest of us, and nearly as unhappy.

“Samu, please tell my father that we will ride home immediately.” Evander’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Once we collect our things and the rest of the Bear soldiers standing by, we’ll be on our way.”

The man cleared his throat uncomfortably and Evander’s eyes narrowed.

“We were ordered to escort you back, My Lord.”

The look that crossed Evander’s features was murderous.

“Well then,” he said flatly, turning his attention back to Arés and Theo. “I suppose that ends our time together. Do give my regards to Iiro.”

Theo bristled, his fists clenching at his sides as he stood there shaking his head.

Davin pulled me into a hug. “Remember, Row, whenever Lord Arseling is ordering you around. You’re a princess of Lochlann. Every one of them is a plebian compared to you.”

I choked on a laugh that might have been closer to a sob, and he reluctantly backed away, making room for another goodbye I was nowhere near ready for.

Theo’s expression was pained, and his breaths came in pants. I rushed into his arms, burying my face in his broad chest and feeling it rise and fall rapidly beneath my cheek.

“This isn’t over yet, Rowan,” he whispered into my hair, wrapping his arms around me so tightly I could hardly breathe. And I didn’t care.

This was all happening too quickly. All I wanted was for time to stand still so I could disappear into him. Lose myself in his touch. Ignore the rest of the world and the trouble that had never seemed to stop chasing me since I set foot in this stars-forsaken kingdom.

A calloused finger lifted my chin, forcing me to look up into his hazel green eyes. There were no more words. Instead, he pressed his lips to mine, his warmth flooding through me and over me.

I deepened the kiss, not caring if anyone watched or was scandalized by something the Scarlet Princess was doing, once again.

I didn’t care, because this kiss felt too much like a goodbye, and no matter what I told myself, no matter what I had told Theo the night before, I hadn’t truly been prepared to walk away from him.

The sound of boots crunching through the snow pulled my attention away from him, and we both tensed as the new soldier Samu approached.