Page 73 of Fated for his Flame

I opened my mouth to ask how he was doing but couldn’t get the words out. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. What if he was already moving on? Had he accepted Caine’s daughter as his mate by now to soothe the tensions between families? I didn’t want to hear about Silas with someone else.

I just wanted him to be with me.

“Very well,” the sovereign said, turning to go. “If you have nothing more to say …”

I couldn’t take it.

“How is he?” I blurted, lunging up from my seat. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fighting a duel later today. Because of you.”

I stiffened. “A duel?”

“With Caine.”

“That seems unfair. Isn’t Caine a little old to be fighting someone like Silas?” I asked.

“Yes. He’s up to something. And I’m afraid Silas won’t see it coming.”

“Why not?” I asked, worried. What on Earth was he thinking?

“Because.” She started walking again. “He’s too busy obsessing over you.”

Then she was gone.

I sank back into the bed, mixed emotions vying for supremacy. Shock over the news of the duel. But also a spark of … something at hearing that Silas wasn’t as over me as he’d acted.

He still cared.

Just as I did.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Silas

Caleb’s hand landed on my shoulder and spun me around. The dueling grounds whirled in a blur at the unexpected motion.

“What the hell?” I snapped, blinking furiously to recenter myself.

“Look at you,” he said, shaking his head. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Me? I’m not the one manhandling his brother for no reason when he’s trying to prepare himself for a duel that starts in moments!”

“If that’s what you were doing, then I’m secretly three pigs inside a human body,” he snorted.

“You’re strange.”

“And you need to get your head in the game,” Caleb said pointedly. “Stop daydreaming.”

“I am not—”

“Don’t lie to me, brother,” he growled angrily. “I know you better than that, and I deserve better than that.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t have to.

“Exactly.”

Sighing, I turned back to the dueling ground as I waited for Caine and his entourage to show up. They were bordering on being late. The crowd, however, was ready and raucous and only growing more so with each passing minute. It had been ages since a duel had been fought, and those who weren’t part of the upper echelons of dragon society always enjoyed seeing blood spilt by their “betters.”

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