Page 34 of The Sorrow of Shadows

“There’s been another murder,” his voice cracks. “Have you seen Breyla? She’s not in her chambers.”

“Who—” I start to ask, but Breyla is already shoving me out of the way.

Elijah gives her a questioning look, but she ignores it. “Who is it, E?”

“Breyla...” Elijah’s voice is barely more than a whisper. “It’s Nolan.”

Breyla goes still beside me. “How?” she demands. Nolan had trained Breyla, me, and most of the soldiers in the royal army. It wouldn’t have been easy to take him by surprise.

“They found him outside the guards’ quarters with his throat slit,” Elijah explains.

Breyla nods in understanding. I see her knees shake, but before she can fall, I reach my arm around her back to support her. Elijah is just as quick, though, because he has her fully supported against his chest as she stumbles into him. Her wailpierces the air as she mourns the male who played the role of a second father to her. I know what Nolan meant to her, what he meant to this kingdom. He was simply someone who could not be replaced.

She throws her arms around Elijah’s neck and sags against his body. A tingle of jealousy creeps through me at seeing how comfortable she is in another male’s arms. Her whole body trembles and shakes with her sobs. Elijah’s hand threads through her sun-kissed auburn waves as he gently strokes her hair and tries to soothe her.

As if a switch had flipped, her sobs stop. Her eyes are red and puffy. She stands on her own and pushes through Elijah to her chambers. It’s my turn to look confused as my eyes meet Elijah’s. He looks concerned, but not surprised at her sudden change. We follow to find her already half dressed in leathers, nightgown discarded on the floor. Her room is spotless, no sign of her blood from last night’s attack. Ophelia and Lyla had worked pure magic.

Cautiously, I ask, “Breyla, do you think this could be related to last night’s incident or why we could not find any guards stationed outside either of our chambers?” I was careful not to mention too much detail, so as not to expose Ophelia in the process.

“Wait, what?!” Elijah exclaims.

“Someone drugged and attempted to kill me last night. Obviously, they failed. That’s why you found me in Aurelius' room this morning. Apparently, the broody, overprotective male thought I was incapable of sleeping alone,” she says with cold indifference.

“Excuse me, Princess, if I find it hard to leave a drugged and unconscious female alone and exposed. Especially when they’ve already been attacked once and there are no guards to be found. Not to mention, she’s both the general of the royal army, and theheir to this godsdamned kingdom.” My blood is boiling as I finish.

This damn female.

“Youareexcused, Lord Aurelius.” The use of my full title is a slap in the face. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I never asked for your help, nor will I listen to you simply because you are fucking my mother. I told you once already—you will never be my king.” She’s picking fights to avoid dealing with the emotions Nolan’s death has caused. Fighting is all she knows, so she’s sticking to that. Logically, I know all this, though my body and tongue have missed the memo.

Quicker than either of us can register, I have her pinned to the wall, my hand wrapped firmly around her throat. She goes still, not responding. “We are allies, little demon, so I’ll forgive that last outburst, but the next time you decide to spew lies, I’ll show you a much better use for that filthy mouth.”

It’s then that I notice the dagger she has pressed against my stomach. She’s not applying any pressure, and that’s how I know she’s not serious. The irony of the dagger’s placement isn’t lost on me. It’s the same place she was stabbed last night, and I can’t help but smirk. “If you were trying to turn me off, I’m sorry to say you’ll have to try harder.”

Defeatedly, she drops her arm holding the dagger, and I release my hand from her throat, sensing her blood pressure has returned to a normal level. “Now get your shit together and start acting like the general and not the spoiled brat,” I say loud enough for Elijah to hear.

I hear Elijah let a chuckle out at that last command. Breyla shoots daggers at him with her eyes. “Way to just stand there and watch.”

“Oh no, I’m not getting sucked into this argument,” Elijah insists. “Besides, I really wanted to see that play out.”

“Dick,” she grumbles at him, trying to hide a smile.

“But I’m your favorite dick.”

“Careful, or I’ll replace you,” she threatens playfully.

“No, you won’t,” he says confidently as a genuine smile stretches across her face. How he can swing her mood so quickly is an enviable skill, one I find myself hoping to someday attain.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BREYLA

It’s too damn bright for what we must do today. The sun is beating mercilessly on all gathered around the funeral pyre. I missed my own father’s funeral. At the time, I hadn’t been able to face my feelings and found every reason to avoid coming home for it. Nolan was like a second father to me, and I don’t know if I could handle the remorse of missing another funeral. It had been three days since Nolan’s murder, and we knew no more now than we did the first day. Nolan’s body had been found outside the guard’s quarters, throat slit, completely drained of blood. There was no sign of struggle, and he was found around the time of the guard rotation. No one had seen or heard anything. We had no leads, no witnesses, nothing. None of it made any sense. Now I had to stare his wife and young children in the eyes and tell them I still had no idea who had murdered their father or why.

I stand front and center, dressed in a black tunic, leathers, and full armor, sword strapped to my left hip. My hair is braided into a crown on top of my head. Elijah stands to my right, mymother on my left, and Aurelius on the other side of her. The guards and soldiers in attendance are also dressed in black with full armor. The rest of the attendees are in black formal wear. I know my mother would prefer to see me in the traditional black mourning gown, but outside of the fact that I hated dresses, I was the general. All the soldiers are looking at me and the example I set. The full armor signifies respect for the fallen, and Nolan deserved the utmost respect.

On the other side of Elijah stands Nolan’s wife, River, and their two children. Briar is a girl of six, and Phillip a boy of four. These babies would never truly know their father. Not like I knew him. That thought makes it hard to breathe. As if he could sense my chest tightening, Elijah laces his fingers with mine, squeezing gently. It’s a subtle reassurance to let me know I am not alone. Elijah would always be there for me. If soulmates existed, he was mine.

I glance down to see Briar, her eyes red and puffy. She’s just old enough to understand what was happening but not old enough to know how to process her emotions about it. Phillip is more confused than anything. He doesn’t quite know what is happening, so he keeps tugging at his mother’s skirts and asking why his papa is sleeping on top of the sticks. Seeing them shatters my heart all over again, but I bite my cheek and hold it together. I have a job to do today. I can cry later. Maybe never.

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