Chapter 7

The time Cleo got with Kav was shorter than she would have liked, but one message from Malik asking him to come home had him changing his plans. So, the morning he was supposed to leave, she woke up half an hour earlier than he did just so she could lay beside him, watching as he slept and questioning herself on what she was doing with him, mates or not.

They'd been doing this for how long now? Three, almost four years? Four years of hiding their relationship, of having him playing up the part of the annoying Krahzaran prince pursuing the Arloerin queen on his mother's orders to try and work his way into her court. No one would have guess Cleo realized the nine-year-old boy who had come with his elder brother was her mate the second she saw him.

At that time, there was just an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness over him that grew over the years he'd visited with Malik. Then, when he was twenty and came without Malik at his side, that was when the flirting started. And at twenty-four when he came to Arloerin again, this time with Malik, and Cleo saw him fully-grown...

Gods, she knew she was done for.

She'd thought a day of sightseeing around the vineyards would do them some good. She'd planned on confronting him, on using her dark magic and her dragons to scare him away, though she liked toying with him just as much as he did with her. They were going to get out of the city, get away from prying eyes. She even sent the few Elite Guard back home for the evening off. Malik had stayed behind to go over plans with Urell while Janan and Shamira stayed since she wasn't feeling well. Of course, this was a lie on her part, having seen the looks between Cleo and Kav.

And Kav knew it, too. Knew how to make her crave every touch of his fingers as they brushed against her, how he managed to get so close to her she could feel his warm breath tickle her skin.

Her plans, of course, backfired in the best possible way when she stopped them in the Cagny Forest at the sparkling pool Kalla used to take her and her sister to as a child.

Because Ollyn and Odanth completely adored the prince, just as they always had, and her both her dark and light magic...they were drawn to him completely, just as she was.

Prince Kaveh, a male who was almost a hundred years younger than her, wasn't scared of her in the slightest, no matter how much of her darkness she'd shown him. And since they were finally alone, Cleo decided she could finally have her way with him, just to get him out of her system.

That first kiss was nothing she was expecting. Having kissed and shared a bed with many males before, something about Kav made her feel like this was her first ever, especially when her hands started shaking as they stripped off their clothes and he'd seen absolutely every part of her and she him. And...well, the mating bond that had always been there between them was completed that night.

Hours after, as they laid beneath a blanket of stars wrapped around one another, was the first time Kav had asked her to marry him, the first time she'd told him no. At first, he was obviously upset, but the look in her eyes, the laugh that bubbled out of her...he then knew she wanted nothing more than to say yes. She couldn't, though, not yet.

From there, there was no looking back for both of them. Those last four years, they'd snuck around both Arloerin and Krahzara just to see each other, even staying in Searis for a few weeks just so they could get away from both of their kingdoms. Still, their faces were recognizable, so they hardly left their room, which was just fine with them.

Now, brushing his hair back from where it had fallen across his forehead, Cleo leaned in to kiss Kav's cheek, making him inhale sharply through his nose as he started to wake up. One arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his side as he buried his face in her hair.

"Good morning," Kav mumbled groggily.

Gods, she loved his voice when he just woke up. "Morning," she whispered back, pressing her lips against the place where his pulse beat in his neck. "Do you really have to leave today?"

"If you'd say yes to a certain question I've been asking for years, I wouldn't have to. I'd get to stay here and bug you forever."

Cleo laughed against his shoulder, digging her fingers into his ribs to make him jump.

"Stop that!" Kav whined.

"Never."

"Marry me?"

"No."

"Are you ever going to say yes before I have to make the journey to Ayveri to ask Elys?"

"Maybe. You never know. I might just to trip you up."

"Of course, you'd be that mean to me."

Leaning back, Cleo put one hand on his cheek, smiling up at him as he hovered over her. "You know me well, prince."

"I do, my queen," Kav smiled, then leaned down to kiss her slowly.

Every time he called her that, it sent a warm shiver down her spine.

They didn't spend much more time in bed, knowing they had just a little while longer until the Krahzaran envoy was due to leave. Having snuck his things into her rooms that first night, they got dressed and ready together. All right, maybe they spent a little longer in the shower than they should have, but they only had a few more hours to be together.

Kav, of course, was the first to finish dressing just as he always was. He liked to help her into her clothes just as much as he did with getting her out of them. And while Cleo worked braiding her hair over one shoulder, Kav's fingers played across the skin of her back as he buttoned up her red dress. He finished just as she was reaching for her eyepatch, securing it over her onyx eye.

Kav frowned as soon as she turned to face him. "I still don't think you need to worry about wearing that," he told her quietly before leaning in to kiss the scars that cut across from the top to bottom of it.

"Well, there are some across Laria who view it as a threat, as a sign of darkness."

"Namely, my mother and the other Laria rulers."

"Exactly."

Taking her face in his hand, Kav took a moment to stare at her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"But you had nothing to do with it."

"Then I'll be sorry for Malik. I know you two are still attempting to mend your friendship, even after almost twenty years of saying you would."

"But it's kind of hard when there are still secrets about our past he's hiding," she said, having a difficult time meeting his eyes. "You haven't...you haven't told him about this, about us, have you?"

Kav shook his head. "You asked me not to. I'm honoring your wishes. And Urell? Have you told him? Other than Malik, he's your oldest friend."

"You wouldn't be standing here if Urell knew."

"Then I guess that's a no." Sighing heavily, he leaned back against the marble counter, pulling her to his chest and holding her tight. "It's been almost four years, you know."

"I know."

"And you haven't gotten tired of keeping this secret?"

Of course, she was. She just didn't want yet another person she loved taken away from her. That was the one fear she hadn't told him, hadn't even hinted at. But she had a feeling he knew somehow. Because Kav knew his mother, knew how she would try and manipulate him in order to get a stronger hold on Arloerin. Sophea thought a marriage between the two of them would be enough...but what would she do if she found out they were mates?

Kav smoothed his hands over Cleo's back, kissing the top of her head. "Let me sneak out before you leave, all right? Don't want anyone catching the Krahzaran prince tiptoeing out of their queen's bedchamber without causing a stir, do we?"

"Well, it's getting a little boring around here. It might be fun if we did."

"Sure, it would."

With one last kiss, one that would have to last her weeks until he came back with Malik, Kav slung his bag across his shoulder and walked to the closed doors of her balcony.

"You do realize I could have used my shadows to send you back to your room, right?" she whispered down to him over the ledge.

Kav grinned up at her, winking. "This seems a little more adventurous," he told her, then leaned up to kiss her quick one more time.

"Dangerous is more like it."

"And yet I know you'll catch me if I fall."

She snorted out a laugh, which made her look around to make sure no one heard her.

Taking a moment to peer down at the gardens below and making sure no one else was looking out from the windows or open archways, Kav crawled over the stone railing, looking below just before he dropped down onto other balcony beneath hers that led into a side hallway only used by the kitchen staff. With one last look up at Cleo, he lifted two fingers to his lips, then strode inside where he would then appear to have come downstairs for breakfast before he was due to leave.

She stood there for a few more minutes, leaning forward against the balcony railing, before a quiet knock sounded against her door.

Janan peeked inside and her dark eyes swept across the room, probably expecting to see a half-dressed prince lounging in Cleo's bed. To give the two of them some privacy, Janan shut the door behind her, leaving a grumbling Shamira in the hallway.

Her second-in-command raised one brow, asking a silent question.

The smile Cleo gave her then was only a little forced. "Snuck out the balcony," she said, nodding behind her.

"Honestly, I'm surprised no one's caught you two yet. Other than me, of course," she said, rolling her eyes. "I think Urell's finally suspecting. Took that orc long enough."

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, other than the obvious tension between you whenever you're in the same room? He's known Kav's been in love with you ever since he first met you all those years ago. Not to mention the teasing the other day and every time he does when he's here. And how...unnerved you were..."

Cleo silenced her with a look. "All right, so maybe he's suspecting."

"He's more than suspecting now, especially when you two have both been so scarce over the last few days. He asked me this morning if I knew anything or if you'd told me."

Cleo stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"Of course, I didn't say a word," Janan sighed, rolling her eyes. "You asked me not to. You're my queen and I will obey your orders."

She hated when Janan called her that, when she talked about orders. "You know you're my best friend before anything else, even before your duties as my second-in-command. And you have my absolute permission to tell me anything, including something you think I might disagree with."

Janan turned thoughtful, cocking her head to the side. "Anything?"

"Anything."

All right, maybe she was going to regret this, especially with what she told her then.

"You need to say yes to him."

That was not what she thought she would say.

"What?" Cleo choked out, gaze widening as she stumbled.

Janan wasn't playing around. She gave her a stern look, a piercing one that went all the way into her heart. "The next time Kav asks you to marry him, you need to finally tell him yes."

"I don't...I can't..."

"Why not? He comes to Arloerin even more than Malik does, especially in recent years ever since you two were mated. Even though you've only seen a little bit of it when you're out in public with him, the people here absolutely adore him. They've gotten to know the real Prince Kaveh of Krahzara, the one they've made friends with and view as one of their own. And he loves them in return. I've seen him in Krahzara. I've even talked to him about it. There, even in his own kingdom, he feels out of place, but he doesn't here. And isn't that what Arloerin is all about? The outcasts and misfits of the worlds, coming together in a kingdom they all can be themselves, one ruled by a queen who will love and protect them for as long as she lives?

"But when Kav's here in Arloerin, here with you, he's...he's so much happier. So are you, Cleo. I love when he is because I get to see you in a way I haven't before, the way any of us have seen you before, really. You're really and truly happy with him. I wish you would realize the good it would do for you to finally have someone stand beside you on the Arloerin throne, someone who loves your people just as much as you do, someone who loves you unconditionally."

Janan's candidness made Cleo's knees shake as she walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge before she lost her balance all together. As she stared blindly at the floor, she came over, and sat down beside her, reaching over to take her hand in hers.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

But Cleo shook her head slowly, giving Janan a small smile. "No, you're right."

That caught her off guard. "I'm...right?"

"You are."

Janan let out a squeak, a sound that Cleo hadn't heard from her before. It startled her enough to make her slap a hand over her mouth, though her eyes gave way to her delight. Cleo couldn't help but laugh.

"The next time he asks...I'll say yes," Cleo vowed. "I don't care what people will think, what they will say. I sure as hell won't let Sophea think she's won some battle against me and my kingdom. I just...I want to be happy. And Kav makes me happy."

"Finally," Janan sighed happily, squeezing her hand. "I thought it would be harder to convince you."

Cleo laughed again just as Janan joined in with her.

A knock at the door had them quieting. Cleo quickly stood, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress, and went to open the door with Janan close behind. There, she found Urell standing straight, a hard look on his face, teeth gnashed together so hard she thought at any moment his fangs would break through skin.

"What's happened?" Cleo demanded.

"Come on," he nodded, not bothering to answer her question before he turned and started down the hallway. "Kav's just gotten word from Malik. He's waiting for us in the council room."

Word from Malik? But Kav was just there a few minutes before with her. How could something happen that quickly?

Cleo quickly caught up with her captain, taking point with him on her right and Janan her left. Shamira brought up the rear as Janan scratched her fingers behind the leopard's ears. The few Krahzaran guardsmen Kav had brought with him were standing just down the hallway from the council room, talking in hushed voices. They were speaking in their own language, one Kav had started to teach her so she only knew a few words.

What she could understand was who they were speaking of.

The Lady in White.

Kav stood with his arms crossed over his chest, speaking in low tones with one of his guardsmen. A folded piece of parchment sat on the table, its wax seal already broken. Cleo looked from it back up to Kav, who met her gaze with a hard one of his own.

"What's happened?" she demanded, just as she did with Urell.

This time, Kav actually gave her an answer.

"The slave trader Tahir Yilmaz was executed yesterday on my mother's order...by the Lady in White."

"The same Tahir Yilmaz who's been missing for eight weeks? The one every ruler in Laria has been wanting to get their hands on, including myself?"

"The one and only," he nodded, eyes shifting to Janan on her left.

Janan...who had once been the slave trader's property for a few short weeks before she was sold to the King of Rezuvell. She was the reason Cleo herself would have loved to been the one to finally catch the male, to watch as her shadows sucked every drop of life out of his worthless body for what he'd done to her best friend, to what he'd done to every little girl and boy he'd sold into slavery.

Cleo's hand reached back blindly for Janan's, who gripped hers tightly. "Finally, something I agree with your mother on. Sending that worthless son of a bitch into the shadowlands where he'll be tortured and rot forever."

"Except my mother's the reason he's been missing these past two months. He's been rotting in the dungeon until he was brought to trial."

"A trial that was short and sweet, I hope."

"Oh, it was...until the Lady came to execute him. She...took her time. Apparently, it was a gruesome sight."

"But a welcome one, if I had to say so myself."

"That's the thing, though," Urell interjected. "The Lady in White...everyone knows she hadn't been seen from in weeks herself. When she makes an appearance, every soul in Laria knows. This was the first execution she'd performed for the empress in a while, too."

"Not the only job she's taken up, though," Kav told them. "I've heard...rumors. Of when she's off on her assignments. She keeps to herself, always dressed the same, but making more of a show on her jobs. She's getting restless, I think. In her work, in whatever secret life she keeps for some sense of normalcy."

Cleo stared at him for a long moment before finally asking, "Do you know who she really is? What her true name is?"

Meeting her gaze, Kav quickly shook his head. He wasn't lying. Not about this. "I don't."

One brow raised when she heard the slight hesitation. "But...?"

And, finally, after a long moment of silence... "But I think Malik does."