At those two words my stomach rolls. "How?"

            He looks down, not at me. "It's odd how even though they're the words that caused the war, I can't remember them. You said something to your father while we were all eating dinner, and it made him mad. He had you stand in front of him, and then he slapped you with enough force that your head slammed into the table." The memory he speaks of is there but blurry.

            "The marble one?"

            He nods. "He then told you to leave, and my father got mad at him over how he treated you. He made some comparison about your father's and mother's parenting style to how they ran Lumiere. An argument broke out followed by a war."

            I can't remember what I said either, but if I had kept my mouth shut, I wouldn't have caused this war and been the reason thousands. . . oh. . . tens of thousands have died. I think I'm going to throw up as my stomach churns. Is this why my country's soldiers hate me? Do they even know this tale? "I'm sorry, Every. I'm sorry for all the pain I've put so many through." Tears fill in my eyes, and I'm not ashamed of them. Rather I'd be ashamed if they were not there. The dead and weeping deserve my guilt, and those tears are an outward expression of it.

            "You didn't start it though. Your father should have been able to hold his temper."

            "I set him off. I always set him off. Why is it me?"

            Every's hand hesitates as he sets it on my hand that covers his arm. "I don't know, Raksana, but you're safe here now. I won't let my brothers interrogate you again."

            I want to tell him that's sweet of him, but I know he's foolish for believing that though. I don't imagine Every could protect me from his two older brothers who are both more intimidating and stronger than him.

            "Thank you, Every, for sticking up for me. Especially as the last time we saw each other we were pretty hostile to each other."

            His hand rubs against mine. "I'm not acting off the last time; I'm acting off when we were friends."

            I stare down at my lap, not at our hands. Can it hurt to tell him about Nate? It would be nice to have someone know what's going through my mind. "That rebel leader— I was supposed to kill him."

His gaze on me is one of incredulousness with his eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. "You? Kill someone?"

"I couldn't though. I was going to give up my life instead, but then my father said I could be imprisoned in a Quillian prison, and I chose that. That's why I'm here."

"Why would you give up your life for him? He's the rebels' leader of your country."

"It's complicated." I don't want to tell him about me fleeing from my army or about kissing Nate. But maybe by having told him what I have, he won't think I'm here on a mission. "He took a bullet meant for me. I'm indebted to him. The princess of Lumiere, indebted to a rebel—that's not a good place to be."

"I for one am quite glad he spared your life."

"You are?"

He nods, his blue eyes unwavering. "I'm glad we got the chance to be friends again. I'd hate for one of us to die bitter enemies." Friends. We're friends again. Like when we were little. Before I understood war. Understood what sacrifice was.

"You're the first person who's thought that."

He frowns. "Do you want to go back? To Lumiere, that is."

I need to make sure Nate's all right. That my father kept his promise. "Your brothers did interrogate me for three weeks."

"Yes, but you still are the enemy princess. You have to understand their point of view in that aspect."

"It doesn't matter what I want. I'm stuck here until the end of this never ending war."

His head rests on top of mine, and I stiffen. "You're safe from the front lines here," he says. "You don't have to kill anyone. You're safe from your family." He presses his lips against my forehead, and my heart races as I snap my eyes to him.

"Forgive me." He pulls away from me, getting off the bed, taking his warmth and. . . danger with him. "I should go."

My hands shake, and I clench the bedspread. "Yes, you should."

What do you think this forehead kiss will mean? And no, I'm not referring to a love triangle happening.