A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)(75)

When he looks at me like this, touches me, it’s hard to think at all. Part of me doesn’t even want to. But there are some things even I can’t ignore. “Alpha Fisa. She’ll kill anyone who gets in her way.”

“I’ll fight her with you.”

“You can’t. You’ll die.”

He shakes his head. “I won’t let her take you from me.”

I close my eyes, so tired of the fight. Unable to stop myself, I lean my forehead against Griffin’s solid chest. His arms come around me, and just for a moment, I let my body mold to his. “You don’t get it,” I say, my voice muffled by his tunic. “She won’t let anyone take me from her.”

“You don’t get it.” He sets me back enough to look me in the eyes. “You’re mine. Not Cat the Soothsayer. Not Cat the Kingmaker. Just Cat.”

I shiver at his words, the chills running both hot and cold.

“It’s inevitable,” Griffin says softly. His gray eyes are like anchors, weighing down my heart.

I shake my head. “It’s not.”

“You were made for me. I know it.”

I stare at him in stark fear. He believes that. I feel the crushing weight of his truth in my bones.

“You need time.” He reluctantly steps back, opening the space around me again. “In time, you’ll see. For now, just come with me.” Griffin takes my hand and doesn’t let go until we’re in the dining room. I skip the curtsy and sit in the chair he pulls out for me, too preoccupied to think about etiquette, especially when no one here cares.

“You’re pale,” Nerissa says, reaching over to pat my hand. “Are you all right?”

I stare at her plump fingers, resisting the urge to snatch my hand away. “I’m fine.” I look around. “Where’s Anatole?”

She sits back, worry creasing her brow. “Feeling poorly. He stayed upstairs.”

“Why don’t you call for a healer?”

Awkward tension fills the room. “We’re having trouble getting healers to cooperate,” Egeria eventually says.

Of course. Like most Magoi, they look down on Hoi Polloi, more often than not refusing to help them. “Choose one at random,” I suggest. “If he or she won’t help, hang the healer from the castle gate. The next one won’t refuse.”

Nerissa’s face reflects her shock. “That’s cruel, dear.”

That’s life. “How did your tribe deal with dissenters?”

“Combat with Griffin,” she answers warily.

“That’ll work.” I take a bite of something wrapped in phyllo. Goat cheese. Yuck! I put what’s left back on my plate and force myself to swallow. The women stare at me, obviously scandalized. I think Piers is, too.

“I’m not advocating random murder,” I say somewhat defensively. “Ask first. But if a healer refuses to obey for no apparent reason other than snobbery…”

“A lesson must be learned?” Nerissa supplies.

I nod.

“Egeria is Alpha,” Griffin says. “The order would have to come from her.”

Everyone turns to Egeria—Alpha Sinta. Her soft-gray eyes go wide with alarm, and it’s all I can do not to gag, especially after that goat cheese.

“I think we’ll keep negotiating for now,” she says softly. “I’m trying to give them incentive to work with us by opening a healing center in Skathos.”

“Skathos?” I shake my head. “It’s too far south. Healers won’t want to live that far from the Ice Plains. They’re weaker the farther south they go. Not only will they be weaker, and unhappy because of it, but they won’t be able to help as many people because their magic won’t be as strong. Skathos is a terrible idea.” Egeria looks crestfallen, so I quickly add, “Build your healing center farther north. Ios could work.”

“But what about the south? We don’t want the tribes thinking we’ve abandoned them.”

I sip my wine, thinking. “If Ios works, you’ll probably get other healers to go south, even if it’s not their preference. Healers are vain and attention hungry. Once Ios gets recognition, and its healers along with it, the ones who initially refused to help will start trying to get their names attached to it. At that point, you can be magnanimous and give them their own healing center—in Skathos.”

Jocasta smiles at me. “That’s an excellent plan.”

I smile back. It’s actually not that hard.

“Griffin also advocated starting in the north,” Egeria says. “He mentioned Ios as well. You two are so well matched. You even think alike.”

Heat floods my face, and my heart starts pounding like a herd of Centaurs. I don’t look at Griffin. I will not look at Griffin.

“I would still have to begin construction of both healing centers at the same time,” Egeria continues as if she hadn’t just splattered the issue of Griffin and me across the dinner table. “I don’t want to offend southerners.”

I try to focus, which is really difficult when the man next to me makes my entire body hum with awareness. “Then build faster in Ios and establish it first. It’ll go faster anyway. Everything is more efficient closer to the magic.”

“Including you?” Griffin asks.