Page 84 of Brighter Than Gold

“I’m humiliated! I didn’t know who she was when I married her.”

“You never suspected?”

“Of course not! I wasn’t looking for a wife when I took her to bed, why would I give a shit where a pretty whore comes from?”

That sparked rage in me, and I was forced to school my temper. “You don’t mean that.”

He huffed and turned away from me. “No. I don’t.”

“Do you love her?” I don’t know why I asked him, I desperately didn’t want to hear the answer. I needed him to say ‘yes’ to know that he would protect Reyah, and I needed him to say ‘no’ so I wouldn’t feel the guilt of falling for my friend’s wife. I held my breath waiting for him to speak.

“I do.”

I felt my soul drain out of my body.

“Then you’ll do what you have to do to make this right.”

The man looked over at me, heartbroken. “How can I even trust her?”

“Burke, you weren’t honest with her either. If you’d told her who was behind the attack on the palace, she may have said something.”

“I never lied.”

“You did. It was a lie of omission, and so was hers.”

The King walked back to the whiskey and poured himself another glass.

“What else?” he said. “Is there anything else I need to know?” he asked dejectedly.

So many thoughts flew through my mind.

Yes, Burke, I’m in love with your wife, and she loves me too, and it turns out I do like women but only if they’re Reyah, and we’ve fucked, so many times, and I can remember the way she feels on me, I can remember the taste of her sweet cunt because my face was buried in her just yesterday.

“It’s her brother, the one leading the Kala Muata.”

I didn’t flinch as Burke hurled the crystal decanter at the wall and it shattered into a million pieces. His nostrils flared and his jaw flexed over and over. I could never remember seeing him this angry.

“Fuck!” he screamed, tugging at his hair.

“Burke, think about it. This man is your adversary and you have his sister. That’s a powerful card to hold.”

“What am I going to do, Callan, ransom my wife? Threaten to harm her?”

“There are other ways…”

He covered his face with his hands and laughed a hysterical, high-pitched laugh.

“I just, I can’t fucking believe any of this. I thought that her leaving for the homestead was going to be the hardest part.”

He seemed nearly delirious with shock.

“Set a meeting with the advisors. Talk to Cryton, he’s always looked out for you. You aren’t obligated to make any statements to the Realm. Just take a moment to find your footing. Yates will be back in a few days.”

“What the fuck do you expect from her? When things get too heavy, she’ll fuck off back to her home.”

“She cares about you more than anyone. Don’t be so dismissive.”

Burke stared despondently at the broken door. “The de-brief is tomorrow at ten. I’ll narrow the list of who is attending in light of what’s happened.”

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