Page 66 of The King's Weapon

The twins rose and moved to their mother, smushing her in between them in a giant embrace. Their height, which must have come from their father, made the woman appear even more fragile. Esmeray patted her sons on the back and squirmed her way out of their embrace a moment later. She approached Graeson next, and Kallie noted the genuine smile that appeared on the man's face.

"Gray." She opened her arms to him and without hesitation, Graeson walked into them.

Something inside Kallie tugged at her, but she tossed the feeling aside. Esmeray let go and tousled his grease-coated hair. When she turned to Dani, Graeson immediately began fixing it.

To Dani, she said, "I have no doubt that my fiercest daughter-in-law was able to keep these men in order."

Daughter-in-law?Kallie began turning the events of the past two weeks in her head. She didn’t know how she had missed it while they had traveled together. They all wore some kind of jewelry on their hands. But when Kallie thought about the way Dani and Fynn fought together, it was glaringly obvious in retrospect.

Dani smiled. "I tried my best, your grace, but you know how your boys can be."

A soft chuckle left the queen's lips. "That I do."

The women embraced, and when they parted, she finally turned her attention to Kallie. As their gazes met, Kallie couldn't help but take a step backward. As much as Kallie had dreamed about being wrapped in her mother's arms, she couldn't afford to put her guard down. Not yet.

Not until she knew the full truth.

The retraction did not go unnoticed by the queen and her countenance shifted. Esmeray halted her approach and instead gave Kallie a simple nod in greeting. "We are all glad to have you home."

Home.A strange way of apologizing for the years of abandonment, the years of lies and secrets.

"There is much to be discussed,” Esmeray said to the group as she observed them, no doubt noting their disheveled appearances. "But I am sure you all would like to clean up and eat something first. The night ahead of us is sure to be a long one." Her eyes caught on Kallie's and then she swiveled toward the door, waving them forward. "Come. I have already asked for your rooms to be prepared."

* * *

Kallie saton a freshly made bed with a silk robe wrapped around her body and her hair dripping down her back in a room that wasn't hers in a foreign palace far from where she had grown up. She stared at a closet half-full of clothes that one of the servants had left while she was bathing. The clothes were in shades of green, blue, and neutral. And unlike her closet at home, the tulle and fuller materials that overfilled that closet were absent.

Kallie grabbed a piece of cold meat from the wooden board that sat on the bed and chewed it. She continued to pick at the food while her mind wandered.

Then a knock came at the door.

Kallie, still half-lost in her thoughts, said, "Come in." Barely giving the guest and their approaching footsteps any attention, she grabbed a ripe green grape. The footsteps stopped and a small cough came from the guest. Kallie rolled her eyes but turned toward the guest. As she raised a grape to her mouth, it slipped from her fingers. It bounced onto the floor as she met a pair of hazel eyes, and a wide toothy grin stretched across Kallie's face.

When Kallie stood, more grapes hit the floor but she ignored them. "Myra!” she shouted.

Kallie threw her arms around her friend, inhaling the familiar scent of lavender. Kallie released her friend and rested her hands on Myra's shoulders and examined her.

Myra seemed intact, and her normal, well-kept appearance was back. No sight of dirt lingered, but Kallie's smile faded when she asked, "Are you . . . are you well?"

Myra laughed. "I'm supposed to be asking you that. Secret family, remember?"

Kallie’s eyes widened. "How did you—"

“Alyn told me everything on the way.”

Kallie shook her head, and despite the happiness she felt seeing her friend, a fire grew behind her eyes at the mention of her old guard. "Where is he? I'll kill him for what he's done."

Myra's gaze dropped and she released a heavy sigh. "It's fine, Kals.I'mfine. Now, come on. We can catch up while I do something about this wet mop you call hair."

Myra grabbed Kallie's hand and dragged her over to the stool that sat before the mirror.

"What were you going to do? Just let it hang there like limp noodles?"

Kallie laughed and the tension in her shoulders lessened. She sat in the chair that Myra pulled out for her as her friend riffled through the various accessories that lay across the vanity. Finally settling on a wooden square brush, Myra began brushing through the knots. And Kallie allowed herself to drop her guard for the first time in weeks as she enjoyed a moment of normalcy—however fleeting it might be.

"So tell me everything," Myra said.

Kallie sunk deeper into the seat. "Not much to tell. My mother's alive, my father is not my father, and I have twin brothers."

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