Before I Let Go (Skyland #1)(61)

Evren moved to the head of the table where only one chair remained. Queen Veda sat to his right with several of her men while Sorin, Thalia, and Jorah all sat to his left.

I took a step back and tried to pull my fingers from his, but he held me more firmly. “Sit.”

He pulled out the chair at the head of the table, the chair that we had made love in mere hours ago, and I sat down where he asked me to. Queen Veda’s wide gaze snapped up in my direction.

Evren moved to the other end of the table and grabbed a chair before bringing it back to me. He put the chair between his mother and me, and I felt like it was a clear divide on where I stood. There was his mother's side of the table with her men and then there was his. Sorin grabbed the arm of my chair and scooted me toward him with a loud scrape on the floor that made it evident where I belonged.

Evren sat down next to me, as tightly as the two of us could fit together, before looking at the parchments in front of him. “What do we know?”

Jorah spoke before anyone else could. “Gavril's men reached the outskirts of their land and delivered the parchment to one of our soldiers.” He nodded to the parchment that lay before us. “He has three dozen men with him, and no others that we have been able to track. We’re worried about an ambush, but there have been no signs that that's the truth.”

“He can't be trusted.” Queen Veda crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “I don't trust that he's coming here with only three dozen men. That would be a damning move for him.”

“It would be if he deemed me capable of harming him.” Evren reached forward and grabbed the parchment. He studied the writing, and I wondered what he was looking for. What signs he was searching for to find the truth behind his brother's lies. “He thinks that we hold no power and that him compromising with us will be seen as a gift.”

Evren looked up from the parchment and looked around the table before his gaze finally settled on me. “My brother is much like his mother, and both have made a habit of underestimating me. We will use that weakness to our advantage.”

Queen Veda looked unsure of what he said, and I didn't know if the worry that lay in her eyes was for her kingdom or for her son who was willing to sacrifice everything for it.

“We are going to tell him of your betrothal?” She looked back and forth between the two of us.

“We are.” Evren tossed the parchment back down on the table and took my hand back in his. “The invitation that he sent was not only a threat to my mate, but a threat to me.” His hand tightened in mine. “He wants me to fear what he is capable of, of what he's capable of taking from me, but he is the one who should fear me.”

I looked over at Evren’s circle of friends, and every one of them looked so proud of their prince. They looked so sure of his words and the truth that rang behind them, and I found myself believing every one of them as well.

“The two of you must make this believable.” She looked back and forth between Evren and me. “Gavril must believe without a doubt that the two of you are in love and incapable of losing the other.”

My back straightened, and I took in a sharp breath. I knew one of those things with absolute certainty. I was incapable of losing him. But it was the other that gave me pause. He was my mate, and I knew that I felt strongly for him. I felt more for him than I had ever felt for another, but I wasn't sure if that was love.

“Are you capable of that, Adara?”

I stared at the queen as I gripped Evren's hand firmly in mine. I could feel my magic swirling inside of me, my marks buzzing with the emotions that were running through me. “I am capable of whatever Evren asks of me.” I lifted my chin and felt everyone's eyes on me. “I am his to command and his alone.”

Her eyes narrowed and her back straightened as she watched me. “I am your queen.”

I felt Evren’s magic churn against my own, calling to me, coaxing me to behave, but it wasn't that simple.

“Evren is my mate. He is my prince and my future husband. You being my queen does not eclipse any of those facts. I will show Gavril that I am deeply devoted to my mate, because I am.” I didn't let my gaze fall from hers. “Will others have trouble showing the same devotion?”

Queen Veda opened her mouth to speak, but I wasn't finished.

“A prince born of blood. Another of power,” I quoted the prophecy to her that I hadn't been able to forget since Evren told me, and I saw her blink in confusion. “We are fighting a war of two queens, but the prophecy speaks of neither. The fate of our kingdom lies with your son, and it will be him and him alone who determines what role I play in it.”

I finally let my gaze fall from her, and it fell back on Evren who was watching me. His gaze was dark and full of lust, and it made me ache with the memories of what he could do to me.

He raised my hand in his, his gaze never falling from mine, as he pressed his lips against my knuckles. My stomach fluttered, and my heart raced as I watched him.

“Gavril will believe that Adara belongs to me because it's the truth.” Evren finally pulled his gaze away from me to look back at the others. “She belongs to me as much as I belong to her, and regardless of what my brother offers in compromise, I will not give her up.”

“And are you ready to face the consequences of that decision?” The queen stared at her son, and I knew what she was asking. Was he prepared to choose me over his kingdom? Was he prepared to let down the people he had sacrificed his entire life to protect?