Chapter 57

Kaine

I’ve gone through the border reports three times now and still haven’t absorbed a word. My thoughts circle the same two moments. The rogue attack in the forest. and then, just hours later, the Captain creeping toward Ember’s tent with a blade.

Two separate events. Two deliberate attacks.

The first could have killed her. The second nearly did.

He wanted her gone. The rogue was never meant to scare her. It was supposed to finish her. And when it failed, he didn’t wait long to try again. If I hadn’t been awake-

I force myself to breathe. I toss the latest report on the desk and gather the older ones into a single folder. I need a fresh set of eyes.

She shouldn’t be reviewing anything this late, not after what she’s been through, but I know Ember. She’ll be working anyway.

I leave my office and make my way through the quieter wing of the palace. The corridor to her office is dim, but I see the faint light glowing beneath the door. She’s still in there. Of course she is.

When I knock, she looks up from her desk. Her brow furrows slightly. “You’re working late.”

“So are you,” I say, stepping inside. The warmth of the light inside the office draws me in.

She’s half-sitting, half-leaning, clearly favoring one side. The healer said she should rest, but of course she didn’t listen.

“I brought the new files,” I say. “They’re light, but I thought we could go over them.”

She nods and waves me in. I set the folders down and take the seat across from her. Her desk is cluttered with scribbled notes, maps, and concise summaries of pertinent information. She’s clearly been at this a while.

For a moment, I just watch her. She moves slowly, carefully, still feeling the worst of her injuries. Her jaw tightens when she shifts too far in her seat.

I know that the pain still lingers. I can see it in the way she avoids twisting her torso and how she favors one side without meaning to.

“I should have seen it coming,” I say.

Ember glances up.

“I should have known the rogue mission wasn’t just poor judgment. It was planned. The Captain pushed you into that patrol, and I let him.”

“You couldn’t have known,” she says quietly. “You stopped him.”

“Not before the rogue nearly killed you, not before he came back with a knife.”

The weight of my words settle between us.

Ember exhales and gestures for me to sit. “But you did when it mattered.” she says. “I’m still here.”

We work through the files, but I’m not really reading. I keep noticing how close she is. How careful her movements have become.

Every time her arm brushes mine, I don’t want to move. I want to hold her. I want to keep her from ever being in that kind of danger again.

She stands to grab another folder from the tall shelf behind her desk. I reach slightly, meaning to stop her, but I’m a second too late.

She stretches up to reach the file, and I see her stumble as pain courses through her left side. Her balance shifts suddenly. One hand jerks toward the shelf for support but doesn’t catch anything.

She tries to twist, to break the fall, but her body hits the floor hard on her injured side. I hear her breath catch and then a low moan as she hits the ground.

I’m already moving. “Ember?”

She sits up slowly, bracing herself with one hand on the floor. Her teeth are clenched. Her other arm crosses protectively over her ribs, but I can already see how her posture has shifted to accommodate the fresh injury.

The pain is worse now. She’s hunched forward slightly, like breathing is a struggle. “I’m fine,” she says through gritted teeth.

“You’re not,” I say, crouching beside her.

“I just lost my footing.”

“You hit the same side you injured.”

She doesn’t argue. Her skin is pale, and her breathing comes out in shallow gasps. I can see the effort it takes for her to keep herself upright.

“I’m taking you to the healer.”

She starts to protest again, but it dies out. Her face says it all.

Ember

The corridor feels longer than usual as we make our way to the infirmary. Prince Kaine doesn’t say much, but he stays close. He matches my pace careful not to rush me as we make our way slowly through the halls.

I don’t lean on him, but I don’t push him away either. For once I find his presence calming. It’s nice to feel cared for, even if it is from the man I vowed to have no attachment toward.

When the healer sees me, disapproval clouds his face. He told me to take it easy and here I was back in his care. “You’ve made it worse,” he says before I can even sit down.

I wince as he helps me to the cot. His fingers are brisk and unbothered by my pain, but he’s not unkind. “There’s more bruising now, and you pulled at the healing tissue. The muscle around it’s strained again.”

I nod but stay quiet. Prince Kaine lingers by the door, arms crossed.

The healer rewraps the bandage and tells me to avoid physical exertion. I can’t help but scoff, I am a member of the guard, physical exertion is part of the job.

“Lie down, at least for tonight,” he says firmly, and I do. The cot creaks as I ease into it, trying to find a position that doesn’t aggravate the fresh pain in my side.

When he steps out to let me rest, Kaine moves closer. He takes the seat beside the cot.

“Was it this bad the first time? You didn’t tell me it hurt this much,” he says quietly.

“I didn’t think it would help,” I say. “You already looked like you blamed yourself.”

“I do.”

“You saved me,” I say. “You stopped him.”

“I let it happen. I should have known something was off with him.”

I want to argue, but something about the way he says it makes me pause. He isn’t just upset. He’s guilty.

I can see it in the stiffness in his shoulders, and in the crease between his brows that hasn’t eased since we left the southern border. There’s a long silence

He looks over at me, his expression unreadable and my head starts to swim at the awareness of his proximity. My pulse beats faster than it should.

“I’m not as easy to kill as he thought,” I say. “Thanks to you… thank you.” My voice is soft as I look into his eyes, hoping he can see the sincerity of my words there.

Prince Kaine exhales, then reaches for my hand. His fingers brush mine lightly. It feels like he’s asking permission.

I look at him and when he leans in, I meet him halfway. His mouth meets mine and fire surges in my veins as the bond overwhelms my senses. The memory of our first kiss comes rushing back and for once I relish in it, in him.

He breaks this kiss and presses his forehead against mine. I don’t move, scared to break the spell, and neither does he. I can’t help myself as his name escapes my lips “Kaine.”

I feel his thumb brush over my knuckles. It’s the kind of touch that says more than any apology could. He pulls back only slightly, eyes searching mine like he’s looking for a reason to stay.

He doesn’t say anything when he leans back in the chair, but I can feel the change in the air between us. Something has changed. We both know this can’t last forever, but for a moment, a night, we both stop pretending.