Chapter 69: Everly

Chapter

Sixty-Nine

EVERLY

Cenric settles beside me on my bed, close enough that I feel his warmth, but not touching. For once, I'm grateful for the space.

"You're troubled," he says softly.

I almost laugh. Troubled doesn't begin to cover it.

"Why did Hawke betray his sister?" It's the question that's been gnawing at me since Hawke appeared in our camp with Alvina earlier today.

"Hawke never supported the rebellion. He only wanted his sister to believe he was working with her so he could quietly work against her."

Never working with her? That doesn't make sense. Why else would he have me kidnapped? And what about that poor woman he tied to the chair?

"He kidnapped me," I say bitterly. "Made me spy for him."

"He needed to convince Alvina he was all in. Placing you in my camp was a part of his plan, but I didn't know that until I read his missive that he gave to you."

I frown, trying to make sense of it all. "But why did he go along with it for so long?"

"He said he was gathering evidence and attempting to persuade her to go back to Calcite territory, but she wouldn't be swayed."

I shake my head, still struggling to understand. "It seems so...cold. To turn on your own sister like that."

Cenric's eyes meet mine. "Sometimes, we have to make hard choices for the greater good. Hawke chose to protect innocent lives over loyalty to his half-sister."

I nod, but the explanation doesn't quite settle the unease in my stomach. There's still so much I don't understand about this world of politics and rebellion.

"He had a woman tied up in a building," I say after a moment. "He used her to threaten me."

"She's from the Malachite tribe. And she killed his brother."

My mouth falls open as Cenric's words sink in.

"He told me he would tie me next to her."

"I don't agree with all of Hawke's methods, but it's important for me to keep this treaty between our tribe and his. He'll be the Calcite's chieftain soon."

"What happens next?" When Cenric doesn't respond right away, I press further. "What happens to us, Cenric?"

He reaches into his cloak, and my heart skips a beat. Is this it? The moment he tells me we can't be together. Instead of a rejection, he pulls out a small leather bag .

Coins clink together as he holds it out to me. "This is for your family."

Confusion washes over me as I stare at the bag, then back at him. "I cannot take coin from you."

"You can," he insists, pressing the bag into my hands. "Then, you can return to Astarobane with my army and give it to your family."

I take the bag from him. It's more than coin. It's a lifeline. A way to help my family, to ease their burden.

Tears prick at my eyes as I clutch it to my chest. "Thank you," I say, my voice cracking with emotion. "What happens to us, Cenric?"

His gaze holds mine. "I want to marry you, Everly."

I shake my head, certain I must have misheard him.

"I want you to be my wife," he says, his tone steady, resolute.

Tears claw at my throat, my chest, my lungs. "Why would you say something so cruel? You know we cannot get married. I'm an outsider, Cenric. It's forbidden."

He brushes his knuckles against my jaw with a tenderness that makes my heart ache. "I'm not trying to be cruel, Evie. I want you to marry me."

"But the law...your uncle...he'll never allow it."

"I don't care about the law or what my uncle thinks." His thumb traces the curve of my jaw. "I love you, Everly. I want to spend my life with you."

He loves me?

This brave, strong man loves me ?

It's almost too wonderful to believe. Especially, when I have longed for it for so long.

My heart swells, but the logical part of my brain screams in protest. "We'll be exiled. Or worse. Is that really what you want?"

"I want you," he says simply, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I'll give up everything to be with you."

I search his face, looking for any hint of doubt or hesitation, but I find none. Only love and determination shine back at me.

"Are you certain?" I whisper, hardly daring to believe this is real. "You'd really give up your title, your family, everything...for me?"

He cups my face in his hands. "In a heartbeat."

"I could never ask you to do that." I pull away from him and sniff.

Cenric grabs my shoulders, gently but firmly turning me back to face him. "We will marry and not tell anyone."

The thought of marrying Cenric, of being his wife, fills me with joy, but the fear of discovery looms like the darkest shadow.

I search his eyes for any hint of doubt or hesitation, but there is none.

His hands slide from my shoulders to cup my face again. "I want to spend my life with you. I don't care about the risks. I only care about you."

I know I should say no, but as I gaze into Cenric's eyes, I realize that a life without him is no life at all.

"Yes," I say. "I will marry you, Cenric."