Chapter 8

Béke Day Two

Awhite void surrounded me; no matter which way I turned, it was endless. "Hello?" I called out, but the only response was the echo of my own voice. I picked a direction and ran. My lungs burned as I sprinted, trying to find a way out.

There!

A black speck in the distance caught my attention. I changed course, racing straight for it. That speck turned into a square, then into a rectangle, and I skidded to a stop in front of three black doors, stark against the limitless white. The one on the left was embossed with an iron sign that read ‘Ruslan.' ‘Kazimir' was painted on the one on the right. In the middle, a blank one waited, blacker than the cave where I'd spent most of my life in chains. I hesitated in front of the doors, my heart pounding as indecision swept through me.

"My child, you have been given such a tough choice."

I spun around. "Mother?"

A female with chestnut hair and jeweled green eyes gazed at me with so much love it physically hurt. The color of her hair perfectly matched my own, and I saw so much of myself in her. Beside her, another female floated, nearly impossible to see with her ethereal, translucent form. Both her hair and eyes were so white that they blended into the space around us. With a gasp, recognition washed over me – the Goddess.

My mother tore my attention from the Goddess when she spoke."You have been given this mountain because you alone can move it. You are so strong. So brave. I am so proud of you, Izidora." The warmth in her tone caressed my very soul.

I leaped to embrace her, but my feet would not move. My arms flailed as I grasped for her motherly love, stymied at every chance of closeness with her.

When the Goddess spoke, her voice was haunting, ethereal, and sent a cold shiver down my spine. "The Fates are fighting me, trying to end this world. One of these doors will save us all; the others will damn us all. You must choose quickly, for we rest on a knife's edge."

"But which is the right one?" I tried to keep the desperation from my voice, but my question slipped from my lips with a breathy, unsure air.

The Goddess only shook her head, her white hair floating around her as if she were underwater. "The future becomes darker the longer you wait to make your choice, no matter which choice that is. You must make haste, do not delay, for you will plunge the world into chaos if you wait."

"Chaos? How?" I pleaded, desperate for some sign, some information that would help me.

"The Fates only allow me glimpses into the outcomes they weave, and if I share too much, they will change it out of spite. Choose quickly, as the fate of our world rests on your shoulders," the Goddess warned.

"But I can't, not when I don't know who is light and who is dark!" I protested, turning to my mother and scrutinizing her features as if she could hint my way to the right answer.

A male appeared beside my mother, his arm encircling her waist. White wings sprouted from his back, mirror images to my own, and the structure of his jaw reminded me so much of Zuriel.

"My daughter, with the gift passed down from your grandmother, you know what lies within each male's heart. You are not one to be led by your head, but by your heart. Use it to guide your decision." My father passed along his advice, and hearing his voice directed at me for the first time nearly brought me to my knees. I could only stare at the three floating figures before me, urging me onward without realizing the weight of making such a huge decision on my own.

White deepened into gray as darkness closed in around us, and my parents and the Goddess faded from view.

"Wait!" I tried to move once again but remained trapped. "Please, I only want to touch them," I begged the Goddess.

"I will allow it if you promise to choose within the next week, Izidora," she murmured, her voice haunted. "My magic is weakening and my time is running out."

"I promise, I'll do whatever you want, please just let me hold them." This was my only opportunity to do this, and there was no way I was letting it slip through my fingers.

With a wave of her hand, she lifted me from the ground and floated me between my parents. Tears streamed down my face like a rainstorm as they enveloped me in their arms. Their touch was like coming home, and I savored every precious second offered to me.

"You are so loved, Izidora." My mother's final words were swallowed by black as all light disappeared around me.

My face was wet when I awoke, and the world around me was dark.

That wasn't a dream.

Though I had been asleep, I knew in my gut that the white void had been somewhere beyond this world. The Goddess had appeared to me alongside my parents, and I'd made a bargain with her to make my decision in the next week.

How was I supposed to make a decision when making the wrong one would plunge our world into chaos? Whatever the fuck chaos meant? Would choosing the wrong mate cause the sun to explode and end life in our world? Or would it spark a war that sent rivers around the continent running with blood? Between Ruslan and me, we'd already killed two kings. Who was next? Was Ruslan one of them?

Panic clawed up my throat, and a fresh wave of hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I was so fucking tired of crying. It seemed like that was all I had done the last few days, from having my heart nearly broken by Ruslan's request that Rares enchant a ring so I would not leave him to my breakdown the previous night after realizing how much my trauma still clung to me.

Ruslan's arm twitched around my stomach, startling me from my spiraling thoughts.

I needed to calm down.

I was still drained, still so raw, and I didn't have the energy for a repeat episode. A grounding exercise Zuriel had taught me sprang to mind, and I rotated through it, trying to regain control of my mind and my racing, aching heart.

My fingers clutched the warm blanket covering my shoulders, ghosting over the soft material, and I inhaled deeply, savoring Ruslan's woodsy scent. His heat on my back eventually relaxed my shoulders, and I exhaled, long and slow, causing him to stir.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Ruslan's sleepy voice rumbled against my back.

Releasing a yawn and stretching out the stiffness that had worked its way into my muscles with the panic, I nodded. "So many responsibilities as hosts."

And as the person who could potentially turn the world over to chaos.

Ruslan grunted in response, pressing up on an elbow to plant a kiss on my collarbone. "I need an assistant so I can spend all day in bed with you."

My belly heated at his words, thighs dampening as he trailed the rough pads of his fingers down my chest and circled my nipple. "Ruslan…" I moaned when he pinched and rolled it. His morning arousal pressed into my back, and I ground shamelessly against it. The way Ruslan touched me always got me out of my own head, and I fucking needed that.

"Sprite," he croaked, "as much as I would like to fuck you senseless right now, I am afraid we're already late. If we want to unite the realms, we need to show the other monarchs why we're worth supporting."

A heavy sigh deflated my chest and my desire. "I know. Do you think they've noticed the Félvér and Telivér hanging about? Zuriel and the Demons were at the feast last night, along with most of your guards."

"Our guards." He dusted his lips across my neck. "Anton and Slavian made themselves very known to the Night Fae. Hopefully, they didn't scare them off with their drunkenness."

"Is that why I didn't meet them before yesterday?" I grinned, teasing Ruslan over his protectiveness.

"That… among other reasons." Ruslan threw back the blankets, exposing my bare skin to the cold air.

"Must you do that every morning?" I griped, reaching for the warm fur.

Ruslan pushed off the bed, yanking my ankles until my center was lined with his hardness at the edge of the bed. He towered over me, wearing nothing but his devastating smirk, then planted his hands on either side of my head, caging me into his warmth. My breath hitched as he dipped his head close to mine. "I can think of other ways to get you up."

I chewed my lip as a flush crept up my chest. "I think I'd like that better."

Ruslan tsked. "Who knew you were such a dirty little Angel for me?" A hand crept down the sides of my ribs, eliciting a shiver as he trailed his fingers over my hip bones, finding my clit with a finger and pressing. "Is that how you want to be woken up, sprite?"

"Maybe you should experiment with it for a few days. See if that gets me out of bed any faster." I gasped as he traced my center, wetting his finger before returning it to my clit.

"Then that is how I shall wake you tomorrow." His finger slipped inside me, curling against the spongy inner wall. "And the day after that." My legs snapped shut of their own accord before dropping wide. "So wet for me already, sprite. Be a good girl and come quickly so we can greet our guests."

Another finger joined the first, and I ground against his hand, needing more fullness. Two wasn't enough, not when I'd been split apart on his thick cock more times than I could remember. "I need more to come," I begged.

Ruslan removed his fingers, only to bring them hard against my center, drawing a gasping breath from my lungs as I arched off the bed. "I'm going to fill your greedy cunt, and you'll feel me dripping between your thighs all day. Understood?"

"Understood," I breathed as he gripped himself and lined up with my entrance. In one powerful thrust, he speared into me, and I was so deliciously filled with him. His hands gripped my hips as he pounded into me from the edge of the bed, and I fisted the sheets to hold myself in place.

"Your breasts look so good bouncing up and down as I fuck you," he growled, quickening his pace. He hiked one of my legs up toward his shoulder, deepening the angle and sending tingles across my body as my walls began fluttering around him.

"Ruslan," I moaned his name as he ground his hips against mine, filling every inch of me. His free hand dropped to my swollen clit, rubbing it in a circle to match his hips, and I was so close to coming already. The thread that tied us together hummed excitedly as the tension building in my core ratcheted up to the point of snapping.

He growled his approval when I ground against him. "Come all over my cock, mate. I want to hear you scream my name as you fall apart."

Mate.

At that word, my body exploded, and stars filled my vision. Ruslan's strong hands caught my back as I arched off the bed, and he drove his hips up and into me, mercilessly pounding through my orgasm. The world went black around me, and there was nothing but the feel of him inside and around me.

"Fuck, Izidora, I love you," he ground out, his hips jerking as he released inside me.

My chest heaved, and my eyes fluttered into focus, colliding with his smoky gray ones. I loved Ruslan with every part of me, and yet I couldn't give him everything he wanted. Not yet. I needed to be certain, especially after my dream, that I was making the right choice.

But was I selfless enough to save the world if that meant choosing the male I loved less?

I had promised Kazimir time alone, and I hoped that would light the path I was supposed to take.

Reaching up a hand to stroke Ruslan's face, I said, "I love you, Ruslan. You make me feel alive."

He pinned my hand beneath his, leaning into it. "Let's get you some food before you start getting grumpy."

"Hey! I do not get grumpy," I protested, a grin spreading across my face, even as he pulled out of me.

"Yes, you do, especially with how hard you train." Ruslan strode to the bathroom, returning with a wet cloth and running it over my body to clean me. Then he tossed it aside and held out his hand to me. "Come," he said, and I took it, allowing him to pull me off the bed and lead me to the wardrobe, where he pulled out clothes and began dressing me.

I playfully swatted at his hands but allowed him to continue because his careful attention caused my body to hum in the most delicious way.

It was so nice to be taken care of.

Surprisingly,Ruslan and I were not the last to arrive in the dining room with a view that overlooked all of Radence. When the Night Fae spilled into it, nearly half an hour after we did, all but High Lord Kaztar and his wife, Domi, looked like they'd rather be dead than attending breakfast. Liliana's makeup was smudged and smeared under her eyes, giving her the appearance of a raccoon, while Endre pressed a cool glass of water to his forehead. Kazimir, Viktor, and Vadim were equally as disheveled, though Vadim wore a smug grin as he shoveled greasy food into his mouth.

Anton and Slavian sauntered toward them, offering Vadim a high-five before sticking around to chat. Slavian couldn't tear his eyes away from Liliana, who gave him more attention than I thought she would. I elbowed Ruslan in the ribs, jerking my head in their direction. "I'm guessing Anton and Slavian had something to do with why they look like drowned rats?"

He snorted, popping a pastry into his mouth and chewing. "I'd wager they are the cause of it."

I caught Liliana's attention, and she excused herself before dragging over to our table and plopping in the chair across from me. "I feel like I could die," she moaned from where her head was buried in her arms. "Can you please put out the lights?"

I shoved my glass of water in her direction. "Drink this, it will help."

She picked her head up enough to pull the water in her direction and tilted the glass to her lips. Little rivers spilled over the sides and onto the table, coating her chin along the way. Once she finished it, some color returned to her cheeks. "Why do you look so chipper?" She dried her face, then tucked her chocolate brown hair behind her pointed ear as she regarded me, a slight upturn of her lips betraying her suspicions.

"I got a good night's sleep," I lied, a grin tugging at my mouth.

"Did Anton and Slavian drag you to Steel?" Ruslan asked, bracing his elbows on the table as he leaned into our conversation.

"That they did," she groaned, but there wasn't an ounce of regret in her tone.

"Steel?" I stopped my contraceptive tea just before my lips, looking to Ruslan for an explanation.

"It is an establishment that I own. A Félvér club, if you will. Anton and Slavian are my best customers," he shrugged noncommittally.

"What Ruslan is not telling you is that it is one of the most incredible experiences of your life. You should join us next time." Liliana's eyes glittered with mischief, and my heart leaped at the thought of all the mayhem I'd been promised she and I could cause.

Before either Ruslan or myself could respond, a tug around my middle jerked my eyes up to meet a pair of deep emerald ones. Kazimir stood just behind Liliana, hands clasped behind his back and waiting to be invited to speak. Ruslan tensed beside me, and I automatically grabbed his hand, stroking the back of it with my thumb in an attempt to calm us both. Kazimir still exuded that oily presence, though it was tempered compared to the previous day.

"Izidora, I believe last night we agreed upon an outing today. I'd love for you to accompany me on a ride through the city."

Liliana whipped her head around, apparently just noticing Kazimir had joined us. He kept his gaze trained on me with a ferocity that was remarkable considering the rage that rolled off Ruslan. He squeezed my hand beneath the table, and I pushed soothing emotions in his direction, turning his anxiety and anger into calm.

"I'll send for my mount to be saddled," I replied.

"No need, our horses are already prepared to go. I will be waiting for you to finish breakfast." He sketched a quick bow and retreated to the safety of the Night Fae before Ruslan could object.

The male beside me cracked his neck and huffed a breath before his lips found my ear. "Leaving you alone with him will be hard for me, and I will suffer through it because you deserve the space you need to make your decision. I will spend the rest of my life making up for my mistakes, but please, please protect yourself, sprite. You are so much stronger than you used to be. Don't forget that."

I turned to face him, letting him see the adoration I had for him. "You've taught me well. I will keep my talents hidden until absolutely necessary." After all, Kazimir had been the first to call me an insidious bloom, and that was a motto I'd imprinted on my soul. I'd told Kazimir that I had changed, but he did not need to know the details of my newfound power. That power was what would protect me against these much larger males, and I planned on hoarding the knowledge of it like it was my greatest treasure.

Liliana wisely kept her attention on her nails as we spoke, only looking up once Ruslan cleared his throat. "Will you be participating in the archery competition this afternoon, Lady Liliana?"

"Absolutely. And you can call me Liliana, no need for fancy titles between friends, right?" She flashed him a disarming smile.

"Liliana, it is. Now," Ruslan pushed back from the table, looking down at me, "I must attend to my kingly duties. I'll see you before the archery competition, sprite." He planted a light kiss on the top of my head and darted from the room. My body sank with his absence, but as I reached my magic out to feel his emotions, I grasped that he needed to put some distance between himself and me as I prepared to go off on my own with Kazimir.

"Izidora, we've got so much to catch up on, but I know you need to get this conversation with Kazimir out of the way. We can gossip later, maybe even with Domi and Immonen. You're going to love them," she grinned.

"I seriously cannot wait. I need to hear more about this life-changing experience you had at Steel," I teased.

"But before you go, tell me… do you love him?" I knew she meant Ruslan.

"Yes," I breathed, closing my eyes for a moment before confessing the secret that had plagued me since I heard it. "But both Kazimir and Ruslan are my mates."

"Shut the fuck up," she gasped. "You get two mates?"

I shook my head, my dreamlike encounter returning in full force. "I have to choose, and soon."

Her mouth popped open into an O. "Shit, Izidora. We definitely have to talk more about this later, with fewer ears around." She glanced around the room at all the Fae and Félvér in attendance.

"Please. I need advice," I begged, reaching my hand across the table and placing it on hers. Maybe with Liliana's help, I could reason out which male was the right choice.

She covered my hand with her other, holding a soft smile on her face. "I promise. Now, go to Kazimir. I think I know what he has planned for you."

I drained the last of my tea, the taste not entirely pleasant, especially as I was reminded that only Ruslan ever offered it to me. The chair scraped against the ground as I pushed back, leaving Liliana to pick at the food left on my plate. Kazimir rose to meet me in the middle of the space, and I left a healthy distance between us, turning for the open doors and striding into the main hall of Ryza Citadel.

"You look lovely this morning, Izidora," Kazimir said from beside me.

I wore the fur-lined boots Ruslan had gifted me, and I was grateful I'd also grabbed the matching cloak before we left our apartment in the spire. The diamond at my throat caught the light of the mid-morning sun as we entered the courtyard, and despite a brisk breeze blowing through it, I remained warm wrapped in the white fur. "Thank you, Kazimir. You've looked better." My tone was light and teasing, like we'd used to play with one another, but his emerald eyes flashed with a darkness I'd never seen before.

"I've felt better." His tone was flatter than I'd ever heard it, and I began to wonder why he bothered asking me to join him if he wasn't going to show me the same warmth he had after rescuing me from the cave.

Did he even care about me then?

We walked in tense silence toward the stables. I was unsure what to say to the male who had rescued me, showed me the first bits of this big beautiful world we lived in, but who I now held so much doubt about. Flinging my unanswered questions at him so soon would not do either of us any favors, especially as his attention sent shivers of two kinds down my spine.

"I have a surprise for you," Kazimir said before we rounded the corner, breaking our silence.

"Oh?" was all I managed as my stomach turned over.

"Look forward," he commanded.

I straightened my gaze to find Fek saddled and ready to go, his long black mane falling over his eyes, front foot stamping and breath fogging in the morning air. Beside him was Mistik, her dapple gray coat gleaming in the morning sun.

"Mistik!" I bounded forward, the mare's eyes lighting up as I approached. She released an excited neigh and surged forward, catching her groom off guard as she trotted toward me. He stretched for the rope attached to her bridle and missed as Mistik raced straight toward me, all else forgotten. Through blurred vision, I stroked the mare's silky nose, blowing in her nostrils as we reacquainted.

"Liliana rode her here just for you," Kazimir murmured from behind me, and I was too filled with joy for his presence to startle me. Swiping at my eyes, I planted a kiss on her nose, then faced the male I loved first.

"Thank you for bringing her to me," I whispered, voice thick with unshed tears. Learning to ride her, in addition to the mare's freely-given affection when I needed it most, had been exactly what I needed in the weeks following my exit from the cave and entrance into a world I'd never known.

"Shall we ride?" Kazimir offered, striding toward Fek and holding out an apple slice for him.

I wanted nothing more than to be back in Mistik's saddle. "Yes. I can show you around the city, and maybe we can stop at one of my favorite markets," I suggested, hauling myself up and over the mare I loved so dearly.

"Lead the way," Kazimir said, mounting Fek and spurring him alongside Mistik.

As we exited the stables, we passed Savich, a Bear Shifter Félvér, and his mounted regiment returning from their patrol. I nodded to him, and he shot me a lazy grin before it fell away when he noticed my company. Then, he offered me a look that said ‘be careful' and continued riding.

Kazimir and I would not truly be alone on our trip through Radence.

"You know him?" Kazimir asked when we were out of earshot, a hint of disdain in his voice.

"Yes, he is one of my friends here in the Iron Realm," I stated. "He's Félvér – those of us with mixed blood. There are a lot of Félvér about, if you haven't noticed."

Our horses' hooves clopped against the stone path as we descended the hill away from Ryza. "I learned a thing or two about Félvér yesterday," Kazimir gritted out.

His tone bothered me, but I said nothing as I fell into the sway of Mistik's stride. The sun caressed my face, bathing me in what little warmth it had to offer on the bitterly cold day, melting the remnants of the past few days' snows from the cobbled streets of Radence. "The market we're going to has a sweet shop that I adore," I offered by way of conversation when we reached the bottom of the hill and turned onto the main thoroughfare.

"Are cinnamon rolls still your favorite treat?" Kazimir asked wryly.

"They are." I allowed my lips to lift in a smile.

How could a few months apart put so much distance between us?

The doubts in my mind lay between us like an ocean trench, and I knew if I didn't voice my questions soon, I'd never move forward with Kazimir.

"So, Izidora, tell me what you've been doing during your time in the Iron Realm," Kazimir said politely, and I welcomed his attempt at conversation.

As we navigated the capital's bustling streets, I told him of my physical training, magic training – leaving out the most important details of my empath powers – and how I'd grown to love the Félvér, as each of them was unique and they all had backgrounds that fascinated me. He remained silent, and when minutes passed without a response from him, I wondered if he'd listened at all.

The colorful market appeared after our next turn, and my shoulders slackened in relief. A hitching post stood just outside it, with a few other horses already tethered and waiting for their masters. I dismounted and tied Mistik at the end, leaving room for Fek.

The market was crowded, and we had to weave through Fae laden with goods as we traveled the path to the sweet shop. A bell rang as we pushed through the door, and the baker looked up from his work. "Princess Izidora, how lovely to see you again." His golden eyes narrowed over my shoulder for a fraction of a moment before returning to me. "What can I get for you today?"

I approached the glass container blocking the treats from being snatched without payment. "What would you like, Kazimir?" I called over my shoulder. He pressed forward, joining me at the display, and my body simultaneously heated and chilled at his proximity.

"We'll take some fresh cinnamon buns," he hummed, his hand skimming up my arm.

"Coming right up. Feel free to sit, and I'll bring them to you." The baker motioned us away with a sweep of his hand.

My breath hitched as Kazimir flattened his palm on my lower back and led me to a table in the corner of the small shop, adjacent to the large window overlooking the market square. My skin was alight beneath my cloak where he had touched me, and I drew a slow breath as I settled in the seat with my back to the wall. Kazimir sat across from me, that oiliness gone from his aura, and I saw the male I fell in love with staring back at me, his lips stretched in a smile. "Remember when we stopped in a baker's shop much like this one on the road to Vaenor?"

The memory leaped to the front of my mind, the smell of baking cinnamon triggering a vivid recollection. Kazimir and I had sat on a bench in a very similar square and eaten them together. He had swiped a bit of icing from my face, and I had sucked it off his finger. My cheeks now flamed because that moment had held the promise of more as tension built between us. "I do."

"You looked so beautiful that day. The sun was starting to put color on your cheeks, and you had started opening up to us more. We'd answered a nearly endless stream of questions about the world around us, and yet you always wanted more. You bested me in a stick fight that day, and if I had to guess, it was because of those cinnamon rolls," he laughed.

"Who needs magic when you have the power of cinnamon rolls?" I joked, feeling a bit of tension melt from my chest as we shared memories.

"Your magic is nothing short of incredible. How is your flying?" he asked.

The baker appeared with a tray of steaming buns dripping white frosting over the sides, and my mouth watered as he placed them between Kazimir and me. "Thank you," I grinned at him, and the baker flashed me a wink before disappearing behind the counter.

"Flying is much better. The strength training I've been doing with Ruslan has helped tremendously." I plucked a sticky bun from the tray, my fingers immediately coated in gooey frosting, and took a large bite, moaning as the flavors melted over my tongue.

Kazimir's eyes darkened, sending a shiver down my spine, as he watched me pull the treat away from my lips. "Good," he mumbled, reaching a finger to stop a line of frosting tumbling down my chin. I froze as he swiped at it, leaving his finger dangling between us with an unasked request. I swallowed down my food, breath catching as I debated my next move.

Do I lick it off and keep this peace between us, or do I show my suspicion of him and risk that sinister aura returning?

I must have hesitated a moment too long because Kazimir brought the finger to his lips, nostrils flaring as he inhaled and sucked the icing from his finger, emerald orbs trained on me. "I still remember how you taste." His voice grew husky, and I nearly dropped my cinnamon roll as he ensnared me with his words. "The most divine wine I'd ever tasted. I could drink from you for hours."

My core heated under his unrelenting gaze. "Kazimir, I–"

He shook his head, interrupting me. "Eat. I have things to say."

Warily, I brought the treat to my lips, taking a smaller bite as I waited for his next words.

He braced his forearms on the table, flexing his fingers before exhaling and shaking his head as if to clear it. "When Ruslan tore you from my arms, I felt like an absolute failure. I'd broken my promise to you, to always keep you safe. My father told me with his dying breath to go to you, my mate. I went out of my mind that night, pushing Fek to his absolute limit as we raced through the woods surrounding Vaenor seeking you. I'd have given my life to see that you were never chained again, and I worried for you every day, because I knew being bound again would end in your death. I vowed to myself, to my father, that I'd save you again. I was too thick-headed to see that we were mates before that night, and I'd give anything to travel back in time and accept our bond before you were kidnapped again." His throat worked, and he looked at his folded hands before returning his intense gaze to me.

The roll turned to ash in my mouth, and I barely managed to swallow it down around the guilt lodged there. "Kazimir, there's something you need to know."

His dark brows pinched together. "What is it?"

"Have you heard the Goddess's Prophecy?" I reached for a napkin to wipe my fingers, freeing them of frosting.

"I have. The Goddess spoke to us on the day of the funerals at Este Castle." Kazimir leaned forward, his attention wholly focused on me, and the air dropped a dozen degrees around us.

"The original language of the prophecy called for two mates."

The words were like a fallen glass between us, shattering the tentative peace we'd formed.

Kazimir growled, a sound so low it was barely audible, but it sent goosebumps across my skin all the same. His fingers dug into the table so hard the wood splintered, and onyx flashed across his eyes. "I will not share you with that motherfucker."

I shook my head, leaning back to free myself of Kazimir's space and throwing up an invisible mental shield to block out the rage he emanated. "I must choose one."

If my first words were like shattered glass, those four were like an explosion. Kazimir shoved to his feet, knocking his chair and the table behind him over with the force of his fury. His fists landed on the table in front of me with a thud that made the tray jump, and he towered over me, mere inches from my face. "Then you will choose me."

My body tensed as I prepared to fight for my life. I was a survivor, and more than that, I was an insidious bloom, and my thorns were well hidden. I reached out a tentative hand, placing it atop Kazimir's and siphoning away his anger, so subtly he did not notice. The natural progression of his breathing indicated it was working, until he shook his head then backed away and straightened the mess he'd made. "I'm so sorry, Izidora. I don't know what came over me. You know I would never hurt you."

But he had, in fact, hurt me the previous night.

Was it intentional? Or was he so crazed from our separation that he no longer had a grip over his actions? Or was it something else, something connected to this new, sinister oiliness that had arrived with him?

It was time for my questions to be answered.

"I have some things to say of my own," I pronounced, sitting taller in my seat and puffing out my chest. Kazimir resettled in his chair, lifting a cinnamon roll to his mouth and taking a bite.

"I think you manipulated me to get what you wanted. You planted the idea of taking the throne in my head, telling me that King Zalan would marry me off the second we arrived at Este Castle. You used my feelings for you to get what you wanted, and that is not okay."

Kazimir only chewed, not denying my accusation. I ground my teeth and continued. "I told you I did not want children, and yet you did not provide me with contraception, or even tell me that was a possibility. Why?"

His eyes widened a fraction before he schooled his face again. I reached a tendril of my magic toward his mind, sneaking through the ropey cage, and was met with a flash of his desire to impregnate me. I recoiled, bile rising in my throat, and fisted my cloak in my hands.

"Are you going to say anything?" I snapped.

He placed his roll on a plate, then wiped his hands before speaking. "My love for you is why I encouraged you to take the throne. Why is that such a bad thing?"

"Because you made me think it was my idea! I couldn't read, and my only contact with Fae outside of my guards and keepers was you and the Nighthounds. I trusted what you told me, but as it turns out, I shouldn't have trusted a word you said. Now answer my other question." How could he not understand what a massive betrayal all of that was? I was ignorant, naive, and relied on everyone to tell me about the world. In fact, my entire world had been them once they rescued me. How was I supposed to know what I didn't know?

Kazimir ran a hand over his face, releasing a heavy breath. "This is not how I wanted our date to go."

"Well, this is how it is going. I can't move forward with my choice until I get some answers," I hissed.

"You are mine, Izidora. You always have been, and you always will be. From the time you were born, you've been mine. I scoured this continent for you. I fought for you. I lost friends for you. You are my mate." His voice broke on the last word, and he captured my arm, dragging out my hand from beneath the table and holding it. "I love you, Izidora. Is that not enough for you?"

The plea in his words softened the wall I'd thrown up between us. "It's not enough when the fate of the world rests upon my choice," I whispered, the weight of that decision settling across my shoulders like the heaviest of fur cloaks.

"What can I do to show you that I'm the right choice?" Kazimir was nearly begging, his desperation evident through our physical connection, and that tug that pulled me to him vibrated with anxiety.

"I don't know," I breathed, my eyes pricking. It was the truth, for something had changed within him, throwing everything I thought I knew about which male was the dark and which male was the light into question. It was apparent that something dark had risen in Kazimir, too, during our separation, just as the Goddess's Prophecy had described my mate doing. Both Ruslan and Kazimir now held threads of dark as much as they held threads of light. In truth, both of them were shades of gray, which only made interpreting the prophecy that much more difficult.

"I want to follow the light, whatever that means. But there is something sinister swirling around you, Kazimir, and I do not like it," I finally said.

That darkness flashed across his eyes again, and a muscle feathered in his jaw as if he was clamping down on something trying to crawl up his throat. A moment later, it vanished, and the male who'd rescued me from the cave returned. He blew out a long breath. "I will show you, Izidora. Give me time to show you, please."

I closed my eyes, blocking out the pain written across his face. "I will make my choice in the next few days," I announced. "So far, I don't see how I can choose you. Do whatever you think you must to prove to me that you are the light."

He leaped to his feet and crossed the table, embracing me without warning. I stiffened under his touch and did not relax until he'd stepped away. "I have no doubt that I will."

I skirted around him and walked to the front door. "We should get back for the archery competition."

He did not protest, following me like a wraith as we pushed through the crowded streets and returned to Mistik and Fek. As we retraced our path through the city, the clopping of the horses' hooves did nothing to drown out the screaming thoughts in my head.

Was there a chance that Kazimir could change for the better? Or was he already so far down this oily path that it would be impossible to climb back up? His words and his actions were antithetical to one another, something that, as I had learned during my time in the cave, screamed untrustworthiness. It set my teeth on edge, and my shoulders climbed higher toward my ears at the perceived threat.

The realization that his actions reminded me of the males who had abused me stole the breath from my lungs.

But what if I doomed us all by choosing Ruslan? The course of history rested upon this choice of light and dark, and who was I to affect the outcome of millions of lives? Lives I'd barely considered up until this point, and only because Ruslan had become king of the Iron Realm and the weight of his responsibility had been thrown in my face. Never before had I seen what that responsibility entailed, and in only a few days it had become abundantly clear that there was more to it than greeting his people and the nobles of the other realms.

The few moments of exposure I'd had to leadership in the Night Realm had been choreographed by Kazimir and the Nighthounds, and with the secrets and lies I'd uncovered since arriving in the Iron Realm, how could I trust them to assist me in governing, let alone in making a decision with such tremendous consequences?

Which male was the right choice?