In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

49. Rose

49

Rose

“ L eo…” I started slowly, pausing to lick my lips. He’d only been twelve . Surely, he was mistaken. “What do you mean, you killed your father?”

“He must have heard me screaming in the woods outside the cottage.” The slight tremor in his voice made my heart constrict; I didn’t know how to help him, other than listening. “He came out and tried to stop me, but it was too late. The spell had taken effect. The magic burst from me, ten times more powerful than anything I’d expected. And the second it stopped, my father…he collapsed.” His throat bobbed. “He wasn’t breathing. I couldn’t find a pulse. It was as if the magic it took to transform me stole his life in exchange. The healer we summoned said it was a—a heart attack. But I know the truth. It was the price I paid to become this .” His eyes swept down his body.

“It could have been a coincidence,” I offered, although I knew it was in vain. Anything I could possibly say he’d undoubtedly told himself hundreds of times already. This wasn’t the kind of burden that sat close to the surface, easily swayed by emotions or logic. This…this was ingrained in his soul, intertwined in the very fabric of his past. The roots of this conviction, that he’d killed his father, ra n so deep that nothing anyone said would convince him otherwise.

If anyone could understand that, it was me.

He shook his head. “It wasn’t a coincidence, Rose. You know how strong magic like that works. If I hadn’t performed that spell, he’d still be alive.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Even if it was a consequence of the spell, you didn’t do it on purpose, Leo. It wasn’t your?—”

He pulled away from me. “Accidental or not, it doesn’t change the fact that it happened because of me. If a stray arrow kills a man, is it not the shooter’s fault? Whether or not they intended to do so? How is this any different?”

My arms hung at my side. I didn’t know what to say. A better person may have been able to come up with some sage advice or words of comfort, but that wasn’t me. I knew if I were the one telling this story, I wouldn’t want someone to mollify me. I’d just want to be heard . So I stayed quiet and let him speak.

“I ran inside to get my mother once I could move through the pain. I hid Father’s Grimoire and any signs of what I’d been doing. I was so scared, so worried she would be angry. She and Rissa found out about the spell eventually, of course, but I never—I never told them it was the reason Father died. I never told them the details.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, speaking more to himself than me at this point.

“Rissa still doesn’t know?” I asked.

Leo shook his head.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my mind reeling from the turn this night had taken. “Well, we’re both pieces of work, aren’t we?” I muttered. He let out a tired chuckle. His shoulders dropped, some of the tension leaving his body. He stopped pacing and stood before me, more timid than I’d ever seen the strong, assured Zareleon Aris.

Reaching out, I grabbed his hand and pulled him close, until his knees touched mine and I had to crane my neck to see his face .

“I know how that kind of guilt changes you,” I said. “I don’t think it was your fault, but you do, and that’s shaped your entire life.” I suddenly realized how similar this conversation was to the same one we’d had about Branock and my father. “Just…don’t let it convince you that you’re not an incredible man. We all make mistakes, and what you did, the love you had for your sister to be willing to go to the ends of the earth for her…” I shook my head. “I would give anything to have someone care for me that much. She’s lucky to have you.”

He tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I tugged on his arm to make him sit on the bed beside me. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I leaned my head on his shoulder. Perhaps I was turning into a hugger, after all.

A moment later, he rested his chin on top of my head. His hand found mine in my lap and he twisted our fingers together. I stared at the sight in silence, wondering when this had happened. When we’d begun to find comfort in each other’s presence, where even a simple touch could calm our thoughts.

I hadn’t thought about the second trial or the nightmares that awaited me when I fell asleep the entire time he’d been here. It was getting late, and it was dangerous for him to be in the palace, but the idea of him leaving made my stomach sink.

“Do you have to go?” I whispered, staring at the window.

He shifted at my side, bringing my attention back to him. His thumb drew a circle on my hand. “Not if you don’t want me to.”

“You’re a rebel sneaking into the palace illegally, remember?” I said, biting my bottom lip, His eyes flicked down before meeting mine again. “You could get in trouble if you’re caught.”

“Then I won’t get caught. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”

I stared back at him, inches from his face, those dark eyes drowning me whole. “I want you to stay.”

His forehead fell to mine as his hand gripped my waist. “What are you doing to me?” he murmured.

We were both emotional. We’d both been through so much trauma, reliving these moments from our past that left us damaged. Was that what this was? Two people trying to deal with their brokenness? Because I’d never felt this before. I’d never had someone be this raw with me, someone I could share my demons with. This pull that tugged at me every time he was near…it was different.

With others, I pulled the strings. I hid behind a curtain and watched everything unfold. But Leo…he yanked that curtain away, forcing me into the light. Forcing me to face what I'd normally tuck away.

Like what I was feeling for him. And how much I wanted him to kiss me.

His nose trailed mine, so close his lashes grazed me when he blinked. Slowly, painfully slowly, his lips brushed against my cheek, the lightest of kisses sending a shiver down my spine and making my breath hitch. He dragged his mouth across my skin until it met the corner of my lips. Without realizing it, I squeezed the hand still intertwined with mine, my heart beating so loudly I was sure he could hear it. I felt his lips curve into a smile.

Knock knock .

“Everything alright in there?” Horace’s voice rang through the air.

Leo pulled away. Irritation burned through me. In my mind, I twisted Horace’s long, blonde beard around his own neck and choked him.

Rolling my neck on my shoulders, I let out a sigh. “Yes, I’m fine,” I called back.

“Just checking.” His knuckles rapped once on the door. “Thought I heard loud voices earlier.”

“I want a new guard,” I mumbled under my breath. Leo chuckled and eased himself onto his back, putting his arms behind his head.

I pushed onto my feet and made my way into the bathing chamber to wash my face and change for bed. Over the sound of running water, I heard Leo tease, “So, you think I’m incredible?”

Snorting, I pressed a towel to my face and stuck my head out the door. Seeing him lying in my bed so casually made my stomach flip. “ That’s the part you picked up on?”

He grinned. I walked around the room and blew out the candles, coating us in darkness save for the moonlight coming from the window. Sauntering to the bed, I sat on the edge across from him until he leaned over and pulled me closer.

“What, exactly, is so incredible about me?” he continued.

I shoved his side. “You’re incredibly full of yourself, for one. And incredibly moody .” He laid back and gazed at me, that lazy, happy smile so at odds with his hard lines and piercing eyes. “And thoughtful,” I conceded, lowering on my side to face him. “Loyal. Handsome. Dedicated and compassionate.”

He hummed, and the sound vibrated down my spine. “What was that?”

“Dedicated? Compassionate?”

“Before those.” His fingers played with my hair on the pillow.

I rolled my eyes. “I guess one might find you handsome.”

“Really, now?”

With a smirk, I batted his hand away. “I take it back. This is all going to your head.”

He laughed then propped himself on his elbow to look down at me. His smile faded, replaced by an earnestness that made me swallow and fight not to look away.

“You’re the incredible one, Rose,” he said softly. “I’ve never told anyone about that night. About what the blood magic caused. Thank you for letting me.”

“Of course,” I responded, a little hoarsely. “You can tell me anything.”

As I spoke the words, bitterness slithered up my throat, a reminder of what I was still keeping from him. The list kept growing. The cut on my thumb seared beneath the bandage, physical proof of my latest secret.

Blood magic. The very thing he believed killed his father.

But it didn’t have to be that way, did it? It could be controlled. He was young; he hadn’t known how to use it correctly .

Nothing that felt so right could possibly cause that much harm.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Goodnight, Rose.”

With a deep breath, I whispered back, “Goodnight.”