ELIA

"What?

" he asked, an edge in his voice.

"Why do you look like that, Elia?

"

"My training…

" she said faintly.

"Yes?

"

"It isn't always just me and Gahrye.

"

"What?

" his voice was very low, very flat, and laced with warning.

Elia swallowed.

"Some of the other disformed… they're all friends. They call each other the pride they chose. Anyway, some of them join us. We practice together. Everyone's good at different things. It makes us stronger. And if one person didn't quite catch something, someone else usually did…

" She trailed off.

"I'm still waiting for the part that made you go pale when you heard me speak of the thefts,

" he spat.

She held his gaze.

"I don't know, because no one has mentioned it to me. But I have had the feeling for a while that several of them are… sick of living here. I think they're planning to leave.

"

Reth's jaw twitched.

"They're stealing to make a start.

"

"I don't know, Reth. But it would fit. The ones that are talking about leaving are the… harder ones—they only joke about it in front of me, but I've had a feeling for while that it wasn't as out of reach as they made it sound.

"

"Well, of course. At least that answers one question,

" he muttered.

"The next question is why you would hide this from me when it's affecting the people!

"

"No, Reth, we can't just decide that it's them. We don't know! And you have to believe that if I had known I would never have hidden that—I thought it was mostly kids making noise about being dissatisfied. I was hoping over time to help them feel more a part of the Tree City so they wouldn't leave. I don't know that they're that organized!

"

He examined her for a cold minute.

"I believe you,

" he said finally,

"that you wouldn't have actively worked against the rest. But that doesn't stop the fact that this is just one example of the very far reaching consequences of the decisions you've been making! If you hadn't hidden this from me, we'd have known where to look for the answers to the theft—why did you hide this training from me? This time with these people?

"

Elia gave a frustrated groan.

"Because for once I wanted to do something without you making it work! I wanted to achieve something on my own!

"

"Elia, we are mates. It's natural that we're a part of everything in each other's lives.

"

"That's not how the people see me, Reth, and you know it. They don't see equal partners, helping each other succeed. They see Reth and his human charity case. They think everything that happens well is because of you.

"

"What?

" he snarled.

"You said yourself things have improved lately and I have intentionally stayed away from you and your Cohorts!

"

"Improved, Reth—they're manageable. Not good. This isn't a life yet. Most of the people still treat me with suspicion—or like I'm a child. I want to be a queen that the people are proud to claim! I want to be a wife my mate can admire!

"

He leaned closer to her, his eyes bright with intensity.

"Elia, I do admire you.

"

"No, you love me. Which is wonderful. But it's not the same thing.

"

"No, Elia,

" he said firmly.

"I admire you—perhaps for different reasons than you wish, but… I won't let you distract me from this. You are going to stop training and I'm going to speak with the disformed about the stealing. That stops today.

"

"No! Reth, you can't! They're just starting to trust me! If you go to them—

"

"I don't care! They're creating fear and that has ripples they don't understand at all.

"

"Please don't do that. Let me talk to them. I'll say… I'll say I heard about it and I need to know if it's them because I don't want them to get caught up and hurt—

"

"No, Elia, they need to hear from me. Their King. This is unacceptable.

"

"Let me at least try!

"

"No.

"

"What?! Just no? Just like that? I can't even try to fix this without the great and mighty Reth walking in and dominating everyone!?

" She flipped the furs back and threw herself out of the bed—he could look at her bare ass as much as he wanted.

"Elia.

"

She threw the closet door open so hard it banged against the wall and bounced back. But she caught it and yanked out a top and some leather pants, tugging them on quickly as she muttered loudly about alpha-male bull**.

"Elia, please. This isn't about me wanting to control things. This is about the need for the greater good. A King's job is always to make the decisions that suit the most people—

"

"Like testing the soldiers in the upper field?

"

He frowned.

"Yes… why?

"

She whirled, her top still unbuttoned, but her pants on.

"Because why do you think we were all up there, hiding behind a rock? It was because we need to train, to grow, to get stronger, and no one will teach us. Is that for the greater good of the people? To carry a chunk of the population who is left floundering?

"

"The disformed are not weak.

"

"No thanks to you!

"

"Elia,

" he said angrily,

"I have no personal issue with the disformed at all—you know that. The issues they experience are with the traders and tribes.

"

"So train us!

" she threw her arms wide and her shirt pulled open on her chest. Reth's eyes widened, but she waited while he manfully jerked his eyes back up to her face.

"I'm sorry,

" he said,

"what did you say?

"

She glared.

"I said, train us. You don't have to applaud the weak—instead, make us strong.

"

"You aren't weak, Elia.

"

"I'm weaker than the Anima—that's why I'm at risk. I'm a target.

"

"You're a target because of your royal appointment—

"

"Would Lucine have had five guards on your home and someone following her everywhere?

" she threw out.

Reth blinked like she'd slapped him.