Page 81 of The King's Weapon

Kallie exhaled. There was too much she could say. Too many reasons why she needed to escape the palace. So she said the one thing that was the least complicated of them all. "Graeson kissed me."

Gasping, Dani jerked upright. "I'm sorry, what?"

Kallie squinted an eye open and saw the woman staring down at her, mouth agape.

"Or maybe I kissed him?" Kallie groaned, smushing her face into her palms. "I don't know."

"And this is a bad thing?"

Kallie groaned. "Obviously!"

Dani shifted beside her, but Kallie didn't dare look at her. "Why? He's attractive, you're attractive. There are worse options for a partner out there."

Kallie rubbed her face. Dani sounded like Myra. It didn't matter if someone was attractive or not. She did not want a partner. Didn't need one. She was engaged. And while Kallie hadn't figured everything out, that engagement was her way to power. Here, Fynn was in line for the throne and she wasn't even a contender. Her goal had not changed. She did not need Graeson messing it up for her.

And then there was that look on his face: the look of victory.

Before Kallie knew what she was saying, the words had already left her mouth. "Because when I saw him this morning, he had the face of someone who had just conquered someone else." She fell back against the ground, raising her hands to her head.

"Maybe there's more to it than that for him?" Dani suggested.

Through the spaces between her fingers, Kallie gave Dani an incredulous look.

"Did you talk to him about it?" Dani asked.

"Of course not! Why would I do that?" When Dani didn't respond, Kallie continued. "There are no feelings between us. He only did it because I was at a low point."

"So if we're following that logic, why did you kiss him if you have no feelings for him?"

"I don't know. I was intoxicated and lonely. And overwhelmed by everything." Frustration spread through her limbs as Kallie spread her arms out. "And sometimes men provide the best distractions."

Dani nodded, staring off into the distance as if she was working through the information. After a moment, she said, "For the record, Graeson has never been the type to take advantage of women."

Kallie scoffed in disbelief. “Sure, but now I have to go to some stupid springs—"

"Sacred."Dani corrected, holding up a finger.

Kallie rolled her eyes. "Sacredsprings with him.Alone."

"Who knows, maybe you'll learn something," Dani knocked Kallie's knee with her foot. "And maybe you should give him a chance."

"Dani, I'm engaged."

Why did she keep having to remind people that?

"And given away by a man who isn't even your father. When the people learn the truth, it will be easy to end the engagement."

Kallie dug her fingers through the top of her scalp but said nothing.

And her silence was telling. Dani shifted beside her, her body fully turned toward Kallie now. "You are planning on breaking the engagement, right?"

Kallie took a deep breath and shrugged. "I haven't thought that far . . . but if I did break the engagement off, what would everyone think? People from all across Vaneria witnessed my acceptance of King Rian's proposal. If I break that promise. . ."

"Then your word will mean nothing, and a ruler is only as good as their word," Dani finished for her.

Kallie gave a tight smile. "Fynn is the future of Pontia, but what about my future?"

Before Dani turned away, Kallie saw the hurt in her sister-in-law's eyes. And it was the first time she had felt sorry for the Pontians. They had all been set on rescuing her, but years had separated them. Rescuing her was the easy part. Keeping her was the hard part.

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