Page 129 of Once the Skies Fade

What had sparked that idea in his head?

Had I done something to?—

I sighed. Fine, yes, I had done quite a bit. It hadn’t been him sneaking into my rooms at night to seduce me.

My lips slid into a half-smile at the thought of him doing just that, but I shook my head once and forced the smile away. That was less than helpful at the moment. I couldn’t worry about that right now. There were bigger issues to deal with––like the two women currently locked in my dungeon.

And the male who made a fool out of me in front of the entire kingdom.

What was I supposed to do with him?

I couldn’t just let him go, as if he’d done nothing wrong.

Weak, pitiful, small.

That’s how he’d made me look when he’d intervened, and that’s exactly how I would appear if I didn’t do something to punish him. But what could I do?

And what if he was actually my…mate?

If Isa had arrived a bit later, then I wouldn’t be sitting here wonderingwhat if. Of course, had she arrived earlier, he never would have had the chance to say the word at all, and I wouldn’t be sitting here fretting—at least not about a possible bond.

My head ached.

The door slid slowly open, letting in a stream of flickering candlelight from the hallway lamps. Without looking up, I said, “Thanks, Isa, for lying about?—”

“Isa lied about something?” The male’s question had me spinning quickly toward the door where Graham strolled in,carrying a bottle and two glasses in his hands. “Must have been for a good reason.”

I dropped my head back into my hands and muttered my question. “What do you want? How did you know I was here?”

With his foot, he tugged one of the still-upright chairs closer and sat down. “Saw you stomp your way in here. I thought you could use a drink after what happened.”

His cheery tone made me uneasy. I pushed away from the table and settled back in my seat, clasping my hands in my lap. My shadows stirred, though differently than usual, almost like they were trying to burrow deeper into my veins rather than begging to come out. I rubbed a thumb into one of my palms and then the other, a perhaps silly attempt to soothe the power beneath.

“You sneak into my room to grab my brandy?” I asked, though I was sure he wouldn’t have the nerve.

“This is mine, actually,” he said. “You aren’t the only one who likes Vranic’s. This is actually my last bottle. I’m hoping the next shipment isn’t delayed too much longer.”

As he spoke, he poured healthy portions into two glasses and slid one my way. I eyed it, but didn’t reach for it. He gently swirled the dark liquid in his before lifting the glass to his lips and taking a small sip.

“You seem to be in good spirits,” I said flatly. I nearly noted how far behind he was in the tournament standings, but thought better of it.

He nudged the other glass forward with his long fingers and ignored my comment, instead switching topics. “Why are you in here anyway? Meeting Isa or something?”

“Not sure I should say, Graham. You’re a competitor,” I reminded him, hoping his love for rules and laws would mean he’d accept this and not push. Pivoting in his seat, he leanedforward, resting his lanky arms in his lap so his hands—still holding his drink—came unnecessarily close to my knees.

“Sometimes I wish I hadn’t entered this tournament so we could still talk. I miss how close we used to be, Cal.”

He stared down at his hands so I couldn’t read his expression. We hadn’t been close since Brennan and I had married. Even when my parents had been lost at sea and I had to work more closely with him as the royal advisor, we hadn’t spent as much time together as we had when we were younger.

“That’s just part of growing up,” I said, casually, but when he shifted just enough to look up at me from beneath his tight brow, I realized my error.

“Glad to know my friendship was so easily set aside. Just another season of life to be discarded as mere memory.” He bit out the words, his features as rigid as his tone. Straightening in his seat, he threw the rest of his drink down his throat before doing the same with my untouched glass.

“Graham,” I started, though I didn’t make any effort to stop him when he pivoted to leave.

He pointed the bottle of Vranic’s at me and seemed about to say something more when his expression started to soften, his arm falling slowly back to his side.

“I just hope you get all you deserve, Your Majesty,” he said, not waiting for my reaction before rushing out of the room.

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