Page 128 of The Heir's Bargain

My lips parted. The question of why Moris only gave me a hard time was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it.

I nodded to Quint and headed toward the edge of the cave, peering out.

The sky had turned to a muted purple now. A few stars dotted the sky, but most of the gods still hid among the clouds. I could only make out the constellation of Barinthian, the god of truth, peeking out.

I turned away from the god.

Right now, the truth was not something I wished to see.

I found my spot beside Sylvia and curled next to them on my side.

Soon, darkness filtered into the cave like a heavy shadow. When I closed my eyes to sleep, two deep brown eyes stared down at me, and a sharp pain twisted in my stomach.

Chapter 34

FYNN

Goodbyes were a foreign language, one I had never been taught despite my years of studying the ancient language of the gods.

I had attempted to see Dani the day her ship set sail—I truly had. I even made it as far as having Telis and Lance take the carriage to the pier. But when I saw her standing on the dock, the ocean breeze kissing her cheek, I couldn't get myself to leave the safety of the carriage.

Nothing I said would have stopped her from leaving. And as I watched her wrap her arms around Terin and Graeson, I realized I didn't want to stop her. I didn't want to be the reason Dani held any part of who she was back.

She could handle herself. She always had.

She didn't need me protecting her.

Nor did she need me stumbling over my words as I prepared for her to set sail.

So, the ship set sail, and I remained inside the carriage. As Terin and Graeson waved from the edge of the dock, I ordered Telis to take us to the cottage north of the Whispering Springs.

Because if I was anything, I was a coward and an idiot.

Once alone at the cottage with only two of my guards to entertain me, I wallowed.

I drowned myself in my self-pity, in my ability to fuck everything up—in my ability to take something so sweet and destroy it because of my pig-headed brain.

It seemed Dani had been right all those months ago—the heir's crown had only made my head bigger.

And I was the one who paid the price for it.

On the eighth day, I stared at the wooden beams spanning the ceiling. On the tiled floor, the decanter lay empty on its side, and my book was just beyond my reach. I couldn't remember the last time I had moved. For days, I had been listlessly lying about, my hair unkempt, my clothes haggard.

At some point, the door creaked open, but I couldn’t get myself to look.

With a groan, I tossed my hand in the air. "No, Lance. I do not wish to go outside today either."

Lance snorted. While I should have cared about his disrespect and apparent inability to listen to my wishes, I didn't.

Then, my head hit oak as the pillow was snatched from beneath me.

"Lance!" I shouted, my eyes squeezing shut as a sharp pain spiked through my skull.

"Fynn."

Shit.

I groaned. Even my mind seemed to be betraying me, for I hadn't even heard Terin’s approach or noticed his thoughts swirling at the edge of my mind.

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