Page 15 of The Prince's Fealty

Pel laughed, and Bavil said, “We’ll make sure some food is prepared. Don’t stray too far.”

Tor needed at least a little bit of privacy, but he could see the wisdom of that. He genuinely wasn’t sure if he could use his magic yet, and even if he could, he doubted he was up to his regular strength or reaction time.

Pel had his bow and quiver with him, along with a sword and dagger. Tor had none of his weapons, but honestly, he doubted he could wield them right now. If he was really lucky, nearly dying in Alossa had been enough to slip Tor from the net that he now assumed had been closing around him for quite some time. They still needed to be cautious, but waylaying their small group would have been a lot easier than attacking the castle. That gave Tor hope.

Stepping out of the cave was a relief. The last time Tor remembered being outside was the day he and Pel had gone into the castle in Nexa, when Tor had naively assumed he could easily straighten everything out with his brother. Since then, he’d been tossed in a dungeon, thrown himself out a window, and woken up in a cave on the opposite side of the United Realms. Two weeks later, apparently.

He could breathe more easily out in the open. The sky was leaden and gray, but it wasn’t raining at the moment. The air was fresh and mild, reminding him that summer was in full swing now. A light breeze tickled his skin.

He drew several deep breaths, ignoring the pinch in his side. Pel helped him pick his way carefully away from the cave entrance. Rocks and debris made the ground treacherous for someone who hadn’t been ambulatory for a couple of weeks, and Pel carefully guided him around trees, shrubs, and plants of various sizes.

(Pel, Beluna, Cavun, and Denil must have carried Tor everywhere when he wasn’t in the boat. It was a weird thought.)

Once they were out of sight of the cave, Pel made sure Tor had a private spot where he could relieve himself, and then they headed a bit farther on. Tor noticed that Pel directed them in an easterly direction so that the bulk of the mountain wasbehind them and Tor didn’t have to look at it. A weird ache thrummed in Tor’s chest, different from all the other aches and pains in his body.

He wasn’t quite sure what he’d done to deserve someone like Pel. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d done various things tonotdeserve him. And yet here they were. Tor needed to worry about his family—and possibly the fate of the entirety of the United Realms—but there were other matters he absolutely had to address first.

“Sooo,” he said, stretching the word out. Everyone in that cave knew most of their business already, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to saysomethings in private. “Bonded?”

Pel blinked at him, something a little cautious and uncertain in his eyes. He gave a small nod, but the rest of his body was too still.

“What do you think of that?” Tor asked.

“What doyouthink?” Pel countered, too quickly.

Tor had almost died. Twice. And when he’d gone out that window, he’d done it believing that Pel wanted nothing to do with him—and for good reason.

So Tor held nothing back. “I think it’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve wanted to get bonded for a while now.” He smiled cautiously at Pel. “It seems like we both did?”

It turned into a question, because while it was factually true—the bond wouldn’t have occurred if they didn’t both want it—Pel had asked to wait. And Tor did understand that you could want something but think there were compelling reasons why now wasn’t the right time. That was what the actual words and the final decision-making were for, only they’d blown right past those.

Pel’s gaze slipped away from Tor’s, and then he asked carefully, “Did you know it could happen?”

Chapter Four

Tor

It took Tor a moment to realize what Pel meant. He sucked in a sharp breath.

“No! Pel, I wouldn’t ever. I swear.” He swallowed. “You gave your answer, and I respected it. I mean, if Varex said no, I was going to try to convince you to run away with me, obviously, but I wasn’t crossing that bridge until I came to it.”

Pel scoffed, but it was a little wet-sounding. “I didn’t really think you’d play me like that, but…”

Oh.Oh. Tor’s heart sank. Because Torhadplayed Pel. It was why he’d been in Tond in the first place. He’d picked Pel because of his weak magical status, knowing Varex would be less than impressed with an Unremarkable royal when there were other, more magical options.

Pel sighed. “I understand what you were trying to do originally. I understand that your feelings changed. But it’s not… It wasn’t an easy thing to hear.”

Tor felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Hehatedthe uncertainty and pain in Pel’s voice, all the more because Tor had been the one to put it there. Pel had decided to stick with him, but Tor realized belatedly that didn’t mean he’d been completely forgiven nor the incident forgotten.

Facing Pel squarely, Tor tried to marshal his thoughts and give Pel the apology he deserved. “I’m so sorry I put you in that position. I was selfish. I concentrated only on my needs. I felt like I was trapped by Varex’s orders, and instead of trying again to really talk to him, I convinced myself that if I could just get around his orders, I’d be able to prove my point. I was trying to be clever. I couldn’t figure out how to do it on my own, and I picked you for all the wrong reasons.”

Pel met his eyes. “So you were going to what? Show up, seduce me, and drop me as soon as your brother was worried?”

Tor flinched, but nothing that Pel had said was inaccurate.

Pel blew out a breath. “You realize how insulting that is? How you were intending to use a person like they were a tool? For your whims?”

Clearing his throat roughly, Tor admitted, “You’re right. I convinced myself it wouldn’t do you any harm, that you’d be as relieved when it was over as I was, but really, I was just trying to get what I wanted.”