Kiva looked up at him, seeing his solemn gaze, recalling everything he’d said, how he’d known about her and kept her secret, giving her the benefit of the doubt. Her most unexpected ally — and her most unanticipated friend.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You were right, I have been helping my family. But — I stopped. Even tonight, I only told them useless information, something they can’t act on, not now. They have to come up with new plans, which will take time. Weeks, months, years, I don’t know. All I know is that I —” She swallowed. “I’m done.” Quickly, she added, “I still love them; of course I do. But I also love —” She choked on the name, and changed course to say, “I also care for your family. And if I’m honest with myself, I’ve known for a while now that I can’t be a part of anything bad happening to you. Any of you. Not anymore.”
A moment passed. Then another. All the while, Kiva looked at the ground, fully aware that she’d just admitted to the highest form of treason. In one move, Caldon could plunge Naari’s dagger into her heart, and be justified in his actions. Her life was in his hands.
As it had been, apparently, for months.
The unbearable silence continued, until finally — finally — he put her out of her misery.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Caldon’s humor-filled tone had Kiva’s eyes shooting upward, and then they widened like saucers when he tugged her into his arms for a rough hug.
“You’re a pain in my ass, Sunshine,” he told her gruffly. “But you sure keep things interesting around here.”
Kiva released a half laugh, half sob, and held on to him tightly. “Aren’t you angry?”
“Are you kidding me?” he asked, drawing back. “You’ve been conspiring to bring down my entire family. Our entire kingdom. Just because I’ve known all along doesn’t mean I’m not furious.” Kiva bit her lip until he relented, “But if anyone can understand how important family is, it’s me. And while I think your sister is a nasty piece of work, your brother —”
“Please don’t start telling me how attractive he is again.”
“Your brother,” he repeated, “doesn’t really have his heart in it, does he?”
Kiva rocked back, startled. “How do you know that?”
Shrugging, Caldon said, “Despite my performance yesterday, that wasn’t the first time I’ve seen him.”
Gaping now, Kiva asked, “You’ve met him before?”
The prince shook his head. “We didn’t meet. Last time my sister came to Vallenia to report on the status of the armies, I left for a while and —” He broke off, frowning. “I know Jaren told you about my tragic past — you basically told me as much when you came to my room the other night, so you can quit the confused act.”
Kiva tried to school her face.
“How you’ve managed to trick everyone for so long is a mystery to me,” he murmured incredulously. But then he continued, “When Ashlyn came, I traveled inland and stopped at a village that happened to be the rebels’ most recent target. When the local guards grew fed up with their propaganda, things turned violent.”
Kiva grimaced and looked out at the water.
“It was a mess,” Caldon said. “The townsfolk joined in, some helping the guards, some helping the rebels; men, women, even children, all fighting.” His voice changed as he went on, “And then I saw your brother. He was like an avenging god among men, his jackal mask alone making people tremble at the sight of him. But the thing I’ll never forget is that he wasn’t attacking anyone. He was protecting them. All of them. Even the guards.”
“What?” Kiva breathed.
“He was careful to make sure no one noticed,” Caldon said, “but I was on the roof and had a bird’s-eye view, so I saw him sneak behind a building and remove his mask. No longer the Jackal, he began to save the very people his fellow rebels were trying to hurt, knocking out the most dangerous assailants from both sides but never inflicting more harm than that. It was so incredible that I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone about it afterward — or reveal his identity. Your brother has some impressive skills, Sunshine. Like, seriously impress —”
“Go back,” Kiva interrupted. “Did you say you were on the roof?”
He scratched his cheek and looked past her shoulder. “I’m still not sure how I got up there, but I may have been drowning my sorrows at the tavern for so long that I could hardly stand up straight, let alone join in the fight.” He wrinkled his nose. “Poor timing on my part, but I sure had the best view in town.”