He wasn’t worthy of his daughter. Yet he’d put that statement out there to me that I didn’t understand ramifications, and he hadn’t followed that up fast. Was he trying to figure out what he was going to say?
I waited, without moving. Stillness could be its own weapon.
Finally, he spoke. “She’s a powerful Druid. She has responsibilities. If she doesn’t fulfill her destiny, then everything will fall apart. The circle of Druid responsibility will end.”
I nodded. “You thought she was dead. How were you going to handle your so-called circle issue if that had been the case? Layne owes you nothing. You lost her. King or not, what kind of man does that?”
The king balled his fists at my question, and the world trembled in tandem with his anger. I kept my ground, staring back at him with my steel face and puffing out my chest. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. You have no idea the pain my wife and I endured. It’s easy to judge from where you’re standing.”
I rolled my eyes.
Her father spoke through gritted teeth. “Layne is a Moon Goddess. We haven’t seen one in centuries. She isn’t just a Druid Princess. She’s so much more. Her emotions will carve the path our very world spins on. She’s quite possibly the most powerful person in existence right now. And as she awakens more of her powers outside of Nightmare Penitentiary, the more at risk she is.”
Risk? “What do you mean?”
“I mean, normally someone of her rank would need a lifetime to learn how to control her gifts. Her abilities are closely tied to her emotions, which makes her extremely volatile. I estimate that Bhaltair was only tethering a small portion of what she’s capable of.”
“This is good,” I replied. “This means she can protect herself.”
“No. This means even the slightest tilt in her disposition could end the world. She’s not trained. She’s not aware of what she’s capable of. I hate to say it, but Nightmare might have been the safest place for her.”
I’ve never wanted to hurt another person so much in my life and not been able to. “How can you say that? Moon Goddesses, from what little I know about them, are treasured, not locked away.”
“I agree, but these are special circumstances, and I am by no means advocating for her return to that place. But we are going to have to temper her the way that Nightmare did. We’re going to have to put a dampening spell on her while she learns. She’s going to hate it. I will, too. Her mother will weep. It’s hard to watch, worse to endure. I’m not blind, either. I know you two are...attached.”
I forced myself not to look away. I didn’t want her father discussing sex with me. It was just...weird.
He continued rising from his desk. “You two get any more attached and things will go haywire. You’re going to hate seeing what happens, and she’ll be more inclined to not do what she has to if she has you to lean on. And if things really were to go wrong when the two of you are intimate, it’ll be a disaster. If she does marry, it has to be with a person who power dampens. You don’t do that.”
“This is bullshit,” I growled. “I’m not leaving, and I’m sure as hell not letting you dampen her powers while Bhaltair is out there. She needs to be able to protect herself.”
I stormed out of his office and slipped into the shadows, her father calling my name as I disappeared. I thought back to our travels and the night she saved my life. She almost lost control of herself. It was bad.
But she just needed to learn how to control it better. She didn’t need a fucking dampening spell. She needed to learn. They weren’t giving her enough credit, and I wasn’t leaving unless I could bring her with me.
I found her room and silently slipped inside, smiling to myself because of the silhouette she made sitting by her window. I knew in my gut that she was thinking about us because vines were growing around her wrist and the sun was shining extra bright today.
“Princess?” I whispered, making her turn around. She rose, then ran to my outstretched arms with a giggle.
“Where have you been?” she asked when I pulled her to my chest. I studied the window before responding.
I ignored her question. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
She pulled away and looked up at me; her bright blue eyes were absolutely beautiful. “Alive.”
I could see that. Yes, she was all lit up inside. Her smile brightened. “Did you see what I did with that weather?”
I smoothed her hair off her forehead. This woman made me want to be gentle. Who would have thought that was possible? “I did. It was incredible.”
She kissed my chin. “Cypress, I feel like I could dance with the stars.”
“Maybe you can.” Although that seemed a really odd thing to say.
She grinned and wrapped her arms around me tighter. “Cypress.” She kissed me and glass exploded across the room. What the hell? I tried to pull back to look, but her vines shot out, keeping me in place. “We should dance naked under the moon tonight. Like some kind of ritual.”
Her eyes were glassy. This was rapidly becoming problematic. I’d seen her that way before, when she saved my life. “Layne, focus, sweetheart.”
“It’ll be beautiful.” More glass shattered, and her bed shook. “I am focused.”
I pulled her in for a kiss, and the entire world stopped. She moaned into my mouth, and I could taste rain on her tongue.
