Mark of Betrayal (Dark Secrets #3)(154)
Author: A.M. Hudson

David’s face warmed with his smile. “They’re rejoicing.”

“So, are you home now, David?” I asked. “Since everyone knows about you?”

“For a few days, yes. We just got word that Drake received our letter, offering war, and fled the country.”

“What! Why?”

“We don’t know. All we know is that he packed up his entire army and just left.”

“Where did he go?”

“Paris.”

I frowned. “Do you think he’s scared?”

Everyone laughed.

“No,” Mike said. “He’s up to something.”

“But, at least, for now, he’s not at Elysium,” David said. “I plan to go there in a few weeks and free the prisoners.”

“Free Pepper?”

He cleared his throat and nodded.

“Can I come?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t need to be there.”

I folded my arms and huffed.

“Oh, how I’ve missed this.” David motioned to my tantrum-posture, smiling back at Arthur.

“Yes, she can be quite endearing at times, can’t she?” he said rhetorically and wandered over to sit on a chair by the balcony door.

“So, do we crown you king, now?” I asked David.

He nodded. “As soon as you’re well.”

I smiled. “When you get back from Elysium then.”

“No, we’ll do it before I go.”

Jason’s head slowly turned to look at Arthur then, his eyes changing. Whatever thought Arthur just had, Jason was clueless to it before. He sat back, his head dropping, and stared at the floor.

“King David?” Morgaine popped her head in the door.

“Morgaine,” David said in a very authoritative, kingly voice.

“Walter asked that I—” She stopped dead and stared at me. “She’s awake.”

“Yes.” David smiled at my hand. “What did Walt want?”

“Um,” she stammered, pushing past Jason, and sat on the bed, taking my hand.

“Morg?” David insisted.

“He, uh…oh, Amara!” Her arms stretched out and she wrapped them around my neck; I grimaced at David from behind her hair, brushing it away from my mouth. “I’ve been so worried about you, Your Majesty.”

“I’m okay.” I patted her shoulder.

She sat back, wiping her cheeks. “You were just so broken. I didn’t really know what to do. I was so scared you weren’t going to—”

“Morg?” David said. “Message from Walt.”

“Oh, um.” She stood up again, her eyes averted, back straight. “Sorry, Your Majesty. Walt asked if I could let you know that he’s calling the House meeting early today because he’s leaving for the weekend.”

“Right.” David nodded. “What time is the meeting?”

“Um.” She shuffled her feet and looked at me. “I’m sorry, we didn’t know our queen was awake.”

“Morg. What time?”

“It’s now.”

David stood and kissed my hand. “I’ll be back.”

I nodded.

“One of you stay with her while I’m gone, please?” He looked at Jason and his uncle.

“I will.” Arthur sat beside me, taking my hand up gently in his.

“Thank you, Uncle.” David gave a slight nod and turned on his heel, closing the bedroom door behind himself, Mike and Morgaine.

“Did he just bow to you?” I looked at Arthur.

“Yes.” Arthur chuckled. “Force of habit.”

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen David bow.”

Jason laughed. “He probably always will.”

“So, what was up with Morgaine?” I tried not to laugh. “She looked like she was afraid of getting a lashing from David or something.”

“He commands a certain amount of respect,” Arthur said. “As king, that has merely magnified.”

“So, he’s slipping into his new role well then?”

“Perfectly.” Arthur nodded once.

“It’s so good to have him back.” I smiled over at my door, catching a strange shift in Jason’s smile as I looked back. “Jase?”

“Mm?” He looked up from the ground.

“You okay?”

He studied his hand, running the tip of his thumb over his finger, then stood up. “Yeah. I’m just hungry. I’ll be back in a while.”

“Oh, okay.” I angled my cheek to his lips as he dropped a gentle kiss there.

“Take care, okay, Ara.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.”

He nodded and backed away, disappearing out my bedroom door.

“The incredible shrinking bedside vigil,” I said, smiling at Arthur.

“It’s been that way for days. Poor David has not had a moment alone with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He patted my hand. “Your people love you. We’ve been very frightened for you these past days.”

“Why?”

He sighed, looking at my quilt. “Do you truly have no recollection of the events of that night?”

I shook my head.

“Do you remember the training hall?”

I looked into my thoughts again and tensed all over. “Did we…?”

“No.”

“What happened, then? I remember you leaving the room but…how did I get to the lighthouse?”

He ran a firm hand down his mouth, looking back at me with tears in his eyes. “Amara, tell me honestly, my dear…”

“Arthur?” I touched my hand to his knee. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

His hand shook. “Did you jump, because of what I tried to make you do?”

“Oh, God, Arthur, I really don’t think so. Surely I’d remember something like that.”

“Yes, but I’m not so sure you would tell me if that were the case.”

My eyes travelled slowly away from his face to the sitting room across from my bed. I squinted against the pain in my head, searching for something—any little thought that might give me a clue about what happened that night. But it was almost as if the event were a painting I’d heard about but never seen, because I couldn’t even muster the slightest image in my mind. “I’m very anti-suicide, Arthur. There’s no way I would’ve jumped. I’m just not that selfish. Think about what it’d do to David—to my people, to my Mum and Dad if they lost me,” I said, taking his hand. “There’s no way I jumped.”