"Desire and fury are the same fire; one burns the body, the other scorches the heart and tonight, both left me raw."
Elias's POV
The moment the words left Alaric's mouth, something inside me snapped.
"You—" I hissed, pacing like a caged wolf in the garden, "you arrogant bastard! Do you think this is a game? Do you think you can just summon me, spill something like that, and expect me to nod and smile?"
Moonlight filtered through the trellised vines above us, casting his face in shifting shadows.
"I'm not asking you to nod and smile, Elias," Alaric said, his voice maddeningly even. "I'm telling you the truth."
"The truth?" I spat the word like poison, rounding on him. "The truth is that you are trying to end a marriage alliance between two kingdoms, one your council is already sharpening blades over, and you thought it best to summon me here? Like some mistress hidden in a garden?"
