"You need to eat," he told her.
"No."
"If Han hasn't told you, when I give an order, no one disobeys me," he said firmly. "Even crying women."
"Do you make many women cry?"
"You'd be surprised."
She withdrew her face from his chest and looked up at him, her silver-blue eyes filled with emotion. Her gaze was unusually steady and clear, as if she were already a legendary Oracle capable of seeing through whatever was before her. The air around her shimmered with subtle, calm power that thrilled him.
No, this Oracle wasn't another Claire, without potential or skill. This was an Oracle the world hadn't seen since before the Schism, the type of Oracle that belonged at her king's side.
Darian.
The woman in his arms ducked her head again and closed her eyes, missing the flash of darkness that crossed his mind and face. He pushed the thought of his slain brother away but couldn't escape the lingering sense of unease. He'd seen from burying his brother that a king's greatest weakness was the woman at his side. There were only two men in the world he'd entrust with his life.
Something about the woman made him think of things he'd not thought about in ages. There was a reason he banned thoughts of Darian and Claire from his mind, an instinct he'd never been able to face in all the years since Darian's death.
I don't know if I trust my wife, brother.
Darian's words haunted him again, and he quickly suppressed the memories.
"Sleep," he whispered, releasing a warm burst of power into Sofia.
Her body obeyed. He held her another minute, resting his chin on her head. His new Oracle was dangerous. He'd almost forgotten that the word for Oracle in his native tongue also meant soul-reader, the dual nature of a woman whose talent allowed her to see a person's soul and future with a simple touch. Her presence alone was already prodding free memories he'd thought he'd buried.
His heart skipped a beat as he realized that the last great Oracle, his mother, appeared just before the Schism, when the Watchers went to war and the universe was almost destroyed.