Page 29 of Fragile Oath

“Since when has someone wanting something to be kept secret stopped anyone in this family?”

Gallagher swiped a hand over his face, leaning back against the solid wood headboard.

“She needed someone on her side.” His tone was close to pleading, and something inside of me deflated.

Galina came to Lochlann entirely alone. She had no friends, no family. Gwyn didn’t trust her or take to her, and she and I shared a tense, complicated history. I thought of her sleepless nights and her haunted eyes and her distant expression as she stared out at the endless night sky.

Though, it hadn’t mattered in the end. She hadn’t confided in Gallagher either.

“She may have needed someone on her side, but she sure as hell doesn’t seem to want it,” I muttered, taking a seat on the other bed. “Or at least, not from any of us.”

“Not from anyone, I think.”

I couldn’t disagree, but I wasn’t sure that was a consolation. Instead of focusing on that, I thought back to his earlier words.You know as well as I do that something is off about this entire situation.

“That’s why you’ve been fighting so hard for her,” I said as realization dawned on me. “You knew when she decided to go back that she was returning to someone who hurt her.”

“I didn’t know if it was him or her uncle or her father.”

“Not her father,” I said automatically.

The few times she had spoken to me about him, a peaceful smile had played at her lips. Her favorite charm was the rosemary one he had given her, and her interest in the herbs was entirely from him.

Gallagher nodded, like he had put that much together also. “But honestly, even then, I wasn’t sure what it meant about her leaving. I’m still not. It isn’t unusual for women to return to men who have hurt them, and she’s had duty ingrained in her since she was born. Do I think he came to convince her? Sure. Could there be more to the story? I honestly don’t know.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Maybe I only want there to be more.”

I ran a weary hand through my hair, picturing roughly seventeen thousand ways to eviscerate Alexei to slow my furiously beating heart. One way or another, I was going to see him dead, but first I had to figure out if there was a reason she hadn’t let our guards take care of him back at Lithlinglau.

“There’s only one way to find out,” I said, taking another long swig from my flask. The whiskey burned my throat but refused to quell the anger brimming inside me. “In the meantime, we need to make sure he doesn't have access to her rooms.”

“Already taken care of,” Gal said.

Of course it is.

“Is there anything else you haven’t bothered to inform me of?” My tone was heavy with sarcasm.

“No,” he said, refusing to rise to my bait. “But I do have a subtle way to incapacitate the guards if we can wait until tomorrow to speak to her.”

He glanced at the bag where he kept his herbs.

Grunting some form of assent, I walked out of the room before I could lose hold of my temper entirely. I might not be able to talk to Galina tonight, but there was someone else I needed to reach.

* * *

I hadto write the letter three times before I could send it. I was so furious the first time that my quill kept poking holes in the parchment. The second time, I heard the fury in my words, and I couldn’t bring myself to take my irritation out on the cousin who had put her life and happiness on the line for mine.

Finally, I managed something workable.

Dear Favorite Cousin,

Remember that time something disappeared from your kingdom and it had nothing at all to do with me, and I subsequently and unrelatedly got engaged? As it turns out, my (now previous) fiancée’s previous fiancé (now current husband) made a trek to our dear homeland, and I am, at present, escorting them back to the tunnels.

If, perchance, there were a reason for their renewed relations outside of overwhelming desire for his sunny Socairan personality, might you be able to inquire as to what that could be?

We’ll be taking the long way round, so you’ll have to send word discreetly to our favorite inns.

All my love,

Dav

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