“Well, I’m not sure Jagi is going to come running into my arms,” Rao said. “This could go badly. He might kick us out.”
“As I said, he's been wanting to make up with you. The only thing that matters is being willing to go. Even if it goes to hell somehow, at least you’ll have Lexi with you.”
“Easy for you to say,” Rao muttered. “You’re not going over there, offering up your heart to see if he wants to stomp on it.”
“No,” Riley said, her eyes glittering with emotion. “But I’ve done my share of hard talks. Believe me.”
Rao did. She was so calm and wise; she gave off an air of confidence he couldn’t hope to match. It was the kind of steadiness that came from weathering many storms and surviving every single one.
“So, are you ready?” Riley asked.
Rao shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”
Riley laughed. “It will take a little while to organize, as well as convince Lexi to go. You’ll have plenty of time to die of a panic attack while you wait.”
“Thank you very much,” Rao said, trying to turn it into a joke. It wasn’t, though. His anxiety was rising so fast that the lion inside him wanted to hunt and tear things into bloody pieces twice as much as before.
Riley shrugged. “Glad I could be of service, King Rao. Can I help you with anything else?”
Rao covered his face with one hand. “You’ve done quite enough, thank you.”
Riley laughed softly. “I’ll start making some preparations,” she said. Before he could protest … or change his mind … she left to get things moving.
Even though Rao’s anxiety was rising, he could sense relief deep inside too. He’d wanted to reconcile with his brother for a long time. He just hadn’t been able to admit it to himself.
The agony of missing his mother and father had permeated his every moment so completely that his feelings towards Jagi had become twisted out of shape. He’d seen his brother as an enemy and blamed him for all his pain. It had never occurred to him that Jagi was suffering too.
He knew that he was doing this for his own reasons, but if it helped Lexi, even just a little, then it was worth doing. Rao prayed that this would finally set things to rights. He was more hurt and confused than he ever had been in his entire life, and he couldn’t see a clear way forward.
Hopefully, this is the thickest part of the darkness that comes right before dawn lights the way.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
LEXI
Lexi lay curled up in bed, her arms wrapped around a pillow and the comforter pulled clumsily around her. She’d gotten up, showered, and dressed, but after wandering around in the gathering shadows of the room, she had retreated to the bed in a state of misery.
Today’s awakening was a far cry from every other day she’d gotten up on Nova Aurora. Normally, she’d leave the windows and balcony open all night. The balcony doors were wide and high, offering a beautiful view of the sky. Lexi had loved the bright rays of sun that crept in at dawn to gently wake her from deep, restful sleep.
Now all the windows and the great balcony doors were shut. The room was drenched in shadows, with cold air seeming to pool in the corners, slowly spreading out to chill the rest of the room. She could hear the birds singing outside and imagine the warm light, but she was too afraid to open the door.
She remembered sitting on the balcony watching the birds flitting past her as she drank her coffee. She’d been utterly enchanted then. Now she was wondering if they were poisonous or vicious in other ways.
Rao said deadly insects and aggressive plants. What else is out there waiting to kill me?
Trull had come and tried to cheer her up, but Lexi was such poor company Trull had soon left. It made Lexi feel bad that Trull had gone to so much effort to make her feel better, and Lexi had barely even responded. She just couldn’t snap out of it.
The attendants had even left her favorite breakfast of maple waffles with a generous serving of ice cream. It was still waiting by the bed. The waffles had cooled and lost their crispness, and the ice cream was beginning to melt even though the temperature in the room was cool. Lexi was not interested in food right now.
I’ll probably comfort eat nonstop when I get hungry enough.
Lexi was stirred out of her thoughts by a strange scratching sound on one of the windows. She curled up even tighter under the blankets, gripping the pillow. She knew it was probably just a branch of hanging vine scratching at the shutters, but it terrified her all the same.
She gathered up the comforter and drew it over her head, wrapping herself in a soft, warm world. She only had one date left with Rao, and the month was almost over. This gave an edge to her panic, making her feel like the clock was ticking, but she was powerless to stop it.
So far, Rao had suggested a few dates, but all the locations were outside the castle. Lexi had made it very clear that she wanted to stay inside where it was safe.
It wasn’t that she didn’t feel safe with Rao. She did. He’d fought valiantly and protected her. She had every confidence that he could do so again. The problem was she had never seen anything as big and powerful as that crab before. It had been like a monster out of a sci-fi movie, but it was real, not special effects.