Asher looks uneasy. He adjusts his collar and checks his watch. "Time to catch a plane," he says, standing and leaving Pete and me to say our goodbyes.
I hug my friend. "Take care of Es. Take care of each other."
He nods. "Take care of you," he says. He pulls away and stares at me. "There's something different about you, Ari. Are you okay?"
I almost laugh at how true his words are. "People change, Pete. Life changes us."
"Just don't lose who you are inside."
***
Asher wants to go back to the mansion and head home, but I still have some darkness with which to play, and so I make him walk with me. "It's time you see how the 99% lives," I say, dragging him down the street. A light rain sprinkles from above. Cars hum and a dog barks in the distance.
"I do not want to see how the 99% lives, thank you very much. I'd much prefer staying in my 1% of the world, whichever world I happen to be occupying."
I shake my head. "You're going to walk with me, and we'll talk and get a drink and for another few hours I'll get to be the girl I used to be before all this happened."
"Very well, Princess. If you insist."
I link my arm through his and we walk. I show him my favorite knick-knack shop, and the place I like to go for coffee. Everything is closed, of course, so we head to a bar instead, and I order us the frilliest drinks on the menu—mine's a virgin of course. Since I am clearly not the law in this world. His has an umbrella and several cherries.
We sit outside, watching mostly intoxicated people pass us on their way home from the bars.
"You know, I must admit to a bit of envy," he says suddenly, as I sip my drink.
"Of what?"
"Of you. Your friendships. Es and Pete, they're family to you."
"They are," I admit.
"It must be nice, having people mean something. To me, everyone is a piece on a board to be manipulated."
We finish our drinks and continue our walk. The weather is turning cold, and I pull my jacket closer to me. I miss the weight of my sword on my hip, but love that I get to wear jeans here.
"That's a sad way to live," I say as we walk across the street and through a park. Couples stroll together in the distance. Ducks swim through a pond, hunting for any treats left by picnickers.
We stop near the water, watching the birds.
"I suppose I learned it from my father," Asher says. "I never really thought to question it, but you have a way of making me view my life differently."
I turn to look at him. At his blue eyes and chiseled face. "Surely not everyone is a pawn in your game?"
He raises his hand to my cheek. "Not everyone."
He's not Fen. But he's Asher. Handsome, debonair, charming Asher. Someone who believes in peace, who's fighting to make that dream a reality. He might be the best choice for king. Don't I owe it to that world to see if there's a spark?
And so when he asks if he can kiss me, I nod.
Our lips come together.
And it is tender. And sweet.
And like kissing my brother.
That is, if I had a brother.
We pull away from each other.
He looks at me oddly. "Nothing?"
I shake my head. "Not really. No offense."
"None taken. It was… odd."
I laugh. "Thanks."
"You know what I mean," he says, nudging my shoulder with his.
"I do. The problem is, I don't think I'm the one you should be kissing."
He says nothing, but I know I'm right by the faraway look in his eyes. "There are many ways these things can work out," he says.
"Really? Like what?"
He turns to me and smiles in his most charming way. "Marry me. I will not insist on fidelity. You can have Fen and still be queen. Choose a king who will be best suited to rule our world."
I choke out a laugh. "So you propose to share me with Fen? Have you ever met your brother?"
Asher rubs his jaw. "You're right. That might not work out so well in reality as in theory."
"We are friends, Asher. Good friends. True friends."
"No… You're just saying—"
"No, Asher. I am being honest. So you see, the Prince of Pride does in fact have a friend."
His eyes gleam. A touch of tears. But only for a moment. He wipes his face and smiles. "But you still must choose a prince to marry and make king. And Fen does not wish to rule."
"But those choices don't have to be made tonight," I say.
"True, but they do have to be made."
"If there's anything I've learned over the last few months, it's that the future is impossible to predict. You never know what will happen to change the circumstances."
He sighs. "That may very well be, but contracts with demons cannot be broken."
I smile and pull my coat around me. "I know."
"Then why are you smiling?"
"Because if there's anything else I've learned, it's that every contract has a loophole. Even a demonic one. And I'm going to find it."
Chapter 11
IN ITS WAKE
"It is loud, all consuming, layered like a chorus. It is soft and hard at the same time. It is gentle and furious. Not female or male. Something else. It surrounds me. It embraces and engulfs me."
—Arianna Spero
When we arrive back at Asher's castle, Seri is pacing in the front hall. The moment she sees us she runs over, straightening her silver dress. "There have been more attacks," she says. She sounds more confident since our last talk. "Wadu destroyed one of Zeb's trading ships, and Riku set fire to Niam's palace. The princes are meeting at High Castle to vote on a course of action."