Page 26 of Ties of Starlight

Chapter 10

Nyrunn was torn between hatred and relief over the fact that the first few days of his marriage were full of the Constella drilling into him everything he needed to know for the Heava Dance, the Rescue, and the Constellation Pool. Like he hadn’t already learned all of it the second the Constella had selected Idonea. Still, given how poorly his first night had gone as a married man and how he needed to smother his feelings and see this as just fulfilling his duty to his people, not interacting with Idonea was for the best.

But that didn’t make it easy.

He could see her out of the corner of his eye, at the back of the group, alone, always alone. She looked at everything like she’d already been here and done all of this a thousand times before and there was nothing new or exciting left in life. It had his heart twisting into knots and sent his mind racing.

Why wasn’t anyone speaking to her? She was married to their king. They should be trying to curry favor with her.But also, why wasn’t she speaking to them? She should be establishing herself as well.

But he didn’t intervene. It wasn’t like he was any better than her, always waiting until he was certain she’d gone to bed to slink into their tent and decide which uncomfortable sleeping position he would take that night, and then spend the rest of the night pretending he didn’t wake up every time a nightmare overtook her.

He was giving her what she wanted. She’d told him to stay away from her.

A coward’s excuse, but one he would take.

At least he thought she wanted that until on their fifth night, he slipped into the tent, fully expecting her to already be asleep, when instead she was sitting at the vanity, braiding her hair with red-rimmed eyes that betrayed her night certainly hadn’t been uneventful.

Her back was to him, but he could see her reflection, and she quickly straightened up, taking a deep breath. She tied off her braid and wiped at her eyes.

“Your Majesty—” Her voice was thick as she started to push herself up, but he was already moving across the tent toward her, catching her gaze through the glass.

“Who is responsible for this?”

Idonea stood up, spinning to face him and saying, “No one. I mean—no one specific.”

That was a blatant lie. He came to a stop directly in front of her, and she stumbled back, catching herself on the chair.

“Who? Give me their names. What did they say?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle. Just the usual, putting the blame for all of this on me.”

“Usual?”

Her eyes widened and she blanched. “I just mean,everyone is blaming me. I’m the half-human, after all. But that’s not important.”

He was about to insist it was, but she quickly cut him off.

“Your Majesty, there’s been no chance to speak, since—since—” She stuttered, her hand brushing over the lines that bound them together as the Cometa Couple. “I wasn’t in my right mind, and I didn’t ask all the questions I need to.”

Oh. Maybe the distance had been the right thing to do. Maybe it had been the time she needed to come to terms with the unexpected change in the identity of her husband.

He gestured for her to continue. “Go ahead, ask me whatever you wish.”

There was much they would have to discuss about the future and what their marriage and their lives would look like after they finished the ceremony. If she wanted to talk to him about that, surely it was a good sign maybe this wasn’t the mess he feared.

“Olaug—”

Nyrunn couldn’t help the noise in the back of his throat that came out the second the name of that despicable, loathsome creature left his wife’s lips.

“Please, I know you said he left of his own will, but in case you’re wrong, you are looking for him, right? If the Moon Elves—or someone else—took him, he could be in grave danger.” Idonea looked up at him, her sincerity spilling out into every desperate word. “If he was taken to prevent us from completing the rituals, then he has no value to them now.”

How much she loved Olaug filled every anxious syllable.

He couldn’t tell her how he was certain Olaug had spat on her love for him unless he wanted to break her heart. Nor could he tell her how he did have men looking for him,but not to ensure his safety, unless he wanted her to start begging him to spare Olaug.

The elf was far safer wherever he was hiding because when he was located, Nyrunn was going to hold him accountable for abandoning not only a woman who adored him but his country who had been counting on him.

“Do not waste another moment of your time worrying about him,” Nyrunn said, doing his best to keep his voice cold so his fury at the man didn’t spill out and arouse any suspicion. Her wall should keep her from sensing his true feelings. “I am handling it, and he is of no more concern to you.”

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