Page 78 of The King's Weapon

Fynn,Dani, and Terin were the only three who sat at the table when Kallie arrived. The trio was drinking tea and chatting as the two women walked into the room. Kallie sat in the open seat next to Dani, across from Terin. And as Myra nodded to Kallie and turned to take her leave, Fynn said, "Myra, please. Eat with us."

Myra froze at the threshold, glancing between Kallie and Fynn. Back in Ardentol, the servants never ate at the royal table. It was deemed inappropriate by King Domitius, but it seemed like the customs here might be different.

"While you may still be Kallie's handmaiden, you're our guest, Myra." Fynn signaled to the chair beside Kallie. “Please, sit."

Kallie shrugged, then Myra scurried to the seat next to Kallie and sat down. She placed her hands in her lap and began picking at her nails. Under the table, Kallie squeezed Myra's hand.

The smell of smoked maple wafted into the dining room and Kallie's stomach grumbled. Servers piled into the room carrying trays of various foods, ranging from fresh fruits to warm waffles to assorted meats. The sizzling bacon caught Kallie's attention first. Before the server set down the plate, she was already reaching for a crisp piece shining with grease, hoping it would help her hungover stomach. She also grabbed a waffle, added freshly cut strawberries, and a dollop of whipping cream on top. Meanwhile, the others continued to discuss an issue in a nearby village, but Kallie blocked out the noise as she devoured the bacon on her plate.

In the midst of shoving another strip of bacon into her mouth as though it would disappear if she didn't eat it fast enough, a voice dragged her attention away from the feast before her.

"So all of you are just going to sit there while she eats all of the bacon?" Graeson asked, leaning against the threshold, his arms crossed across his chest.

He pushed himself off the threshold and walked behind her. He reached around her, and the scent of cedar mixed with the smoky maple from the bacon stirred something deep within her. He grabbed a piece of bacon off the platter, then continued his trek around to the chair across from Myra and plopped down in it. A smirk formed on his face as he looked over at Kallie. And the way he was holding himself was different from what she was used to seeing, but Kallie couldn't figure out why.

Then, as he chewed off a piece of the bacon, her eyes dropped to his mouth and her hand instinctively went to her lips.

But that . . . that couldn't be right. I'd remember if . . .

Her hand fell from her lips as the memory of last night flooded back to her. Heat rose to her cheeks and Graeson's smirk turned into an amused grin.

She didn't understand. She must have been incredibly drunk to have kissed him.

Granted, he was attractive, but not so attractive that she would let him ruin everything for her. His strong jawline speckled with a hint of stubble was not enough to make her forget why she was here and the decision she needed to make. Nor was the way his stubborn hair kept falling and casting shadows across his face despite the number of times he brushed it back with his fingers. Like his hair, he was stubborn. Too stubborn for her liking, and his handsomeness would not detract from that fact.

And he was dangerous; his aim, deadly. His ability to shut down his emotions and allow whatever slithered beneath his cool exterior to strike his enemies down without any mercy even deadlier.

Her life was already complicated enough, she did not need a fling with this man making it more complicated for her.

As Kallie sat there, still not having responded, fury rose to her cheeks. When she saw the triumphant expression on Graeson's face, she understood what had transgressed last night. He had no feelings for her. He had seen a moment of weakness and took advantage of the opportunity in front of him.

To him, she was a prize. But Kallie could not be won. She was not some trophy to be displayed on the wall next to the severed heads of wild beasts.

She narrowed her eyes, grabbed the gilded knife, and sliced through the waffle on her plate, the blade scratching against the porcelain."Perhaps if you hadn't slept in, you wouldn't have had to worry about me taking something that wasn't mine."

He must have seen the anger behind her gaze. His brows knitted in the center of his forehead, and the smirk was ripped from his face.

"Yeah, Gray. Sleeping in didn't seem to do you any good anyway. You look exhausted," Dani added, speaking past the bite of waffle stuffed in her mouth.

"Hard to adjust back to my own bed, I suppose." Graeson rubbed his face with his palm as though he could wipe away the deep circles of purple and blue under his eyes.

Kallie turned her attention to her brothers, not wanting to give the man who had taken advantage of her drunken state another moment of her time. "Where's Esmeray? I thought she said she would be joining us."

Fynn began to respond but Graeson interrupted him before he could get the words out, "She's probably out on her morning walk through town, but she should be here soon."

"I didn't ask you. Now, did I?" Kallie sneered.

Graeson looked around the table and shrugged. "Seemed like an open question to me."

Kallie focused back on her food, but she had lost her appetite and poked at the food, moving it around her plate. The group at the table continued their conversation, while Kallie and Myra remained quiet for the rest of breakfast. Once Myra had finished eating, she had run off, mumbling something about seeing a tailor about a dress or something.

Not until most of them were done eating already did Esmeray stroll into the dining room, laughing. A man with silver hair who followed her stopped at the threshold. His uniform had a sparkling silver medallion attached to his lapel signaling that he was the captain of the royal guard.

At the sight of the medallion, Kallie's thoughts momentarily went to Alyn. Myra had said that he was on some other assignment, but Kallie wondered for how long. She didn't want to see him and she hoped she never would. If she accepted this new family or not, she would never be able to forgive his betrayal. Maybe that was why he had run off when he had returned after being gone for a decade. She had been clear about her hatred toward him when they parted ways weeks ago. And she couldn't promise that she wouldn't kill him on sight.

Esmeray's light laughter brought Kallie back from her wandering thoughts.

"You'll have to remind me next time, Airos," Esmeray said, patting the man's arm.

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