“Nic deserves an explanation,” Cleo said, her throat tight.
“It’s better that he thinks any feelings I might have had have changed.” Ashur cleared his throat. “If you’ll excuse me, I feel I’ve already said far more than I planned to.”
Cleo didn’t say a word to stop him from leaving the room. Her thoughts spun, some connecting, but most just confusing her more.
Finally, she glanced at Jonas.
“So,” he said, still frowning. “Nic and Ashur, huh?”
She nodded slowly.
“Strange . . . I thought Nic liked girls, and you in particular. I’m not usually wrong about these sorts of things.”
“You’re not wrong. He does like girls.”
“But Ashur”—he glanced toward the door—“is definitely not a girl.”
“Don’t try to think too hard about it, rebel. You might injure your brain. Just know that it’s complicated.”
“Isn’t everything?” He came to sit next to her. “Now that I know Ashur’s little secret, and that it’s not a personal threat to you or me, I need to focus on getting my hands on the orb the king has hidden. Do you think it’s here in the inn?”
“I have no idea. I wish I did. I was going to tell you . . . to unlock the magic, we need Lucia’s blood and the blood of a Watcher.”
His surprised gaze met hers. “That’s the secret?”
Cleo nodded.
“That won’t release the god?”
“I don’t know. That’s why it’s so important that we find Lucia, to find out more from her and what went wrong with Kyan.”
Jonas’s brown eyes got a faraway look in them. “The prophecy . . .”
“What?” she prompted when he fell silent.
He shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll tell you more when I figure out if it’s true or not.”
“The trouble is, I don’t know how to find a Watcher.” She bit her bottom lip. “Sure, there may be a handful of exiled Watchers still alive, but I think it needs to be a full Watcher. I’m hoping Lucia will be willing to help when the time comes.”
“Don’t worry about finding a Watcher.” He didn’t speak for an extended moment. “I have that covered.”
Her gaze shot to his with surprise. “How?”
“Olivia,” he whispered. “She’s one.”
She gaped at him. “You’re not serious.”
“It’s another secret, but I’m going to trust you to keep it.” He gave her a half grin then, one she’d always found equally charming and frustrating. “There’s been so much that’s been sacrificed on this road we’ve traveled together. So much loss for both of us. But I hold tight to the thought that it will all be worth it in the end.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
“I think you should know that Lys liked you.”
“Now you’re lying.”
“She might not have even realized it herself, but I know she respected you more than you might think. You share the same thing: strength,” Jonas’s voice finally broke. “You just show it in different ways.”
Cleo’s eyes began to sting at the sight of Jonas struggling not to let the tears welling in his eyes fall.
She took the rebel’s hands in hers, drawing him closer to her. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Jonas. I mean that from the very bottom of my heart.”
He just nodded, his eyes trained on the floor. “She loved me. I didn’t even realize it until it was too late. Or maybe I did and I wasn’t ready to accept it. But now I see . . . she was kind of perfect for me.”
“I have to agree.”
“We could have had a life together. A house, maybe even a villa.” He grinned again, but it was sadder this time. “Children. A future. Who knows what could have happened? I only know one thing for sure.”
“What?”
“Lys deserved far better than me.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Cleo agreed, pleased that the surprised look Jonas gave her managed to erase the pain in his eyes. She gave him a warm smile. “My sister believed that those who die become stars in the skies. So every night we can look up and know they’re watching over us.”
His expression grew skeptical. “Is that some Auranian legend?”
“And if it is?”
A lock of her hair had fallen over her forehead, and he tucked it back behind her ear before leaving his hand against her cheek. “Then I like Auranian legends.”
Cleo rested her head on Jonas’s shoulder, and they sat there, taking comfort from each other. There was a connection between her and Jonas—something very powerful that she’d never been able to ignore. And there was a time, not so long ago, that she could have loved this rebel with all her heart.
And she did love him, but not in the way that Lysandra had.
Come what may, Cleo’s heart belonged to another.
CHAPTER 18
MAGNUS
PAELSIA
It was clear to Magnus that Enzo and Milo were holding back in their sparring session, worried about harming a prince. Magnus left them both bleeding as punishment for this and went back inside the inn, feeling the surprising need to sketch.
He paused at the doorway when he saw Jonas and Cleo in the meeting hall. They were sitting close together, their voices low. Magnus inched closer to hear, but instead he watched as the rebel stroked Cleo’s hair without protest from the princess, then stroked her cheek. Their eyes lingered on each other’s for a second too long.