Page 66 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

To the bodies.

A shudder tore through me.

Distraction—I needed a distraction.

All I had was myself. And I—

I pulled a pillow over my head and forced myself to count the seconds of my breaths.

In…2…3…4…

Out…2…3…4…

In…2…3…4…

Out…2…3…4…

Eventually, the panic subsided.

I continued focusing on my breaths as I waited for Ravv.

Veil, the way I was dealing with my past just seemed to be getting worse. What was I supposed to do about that?

The door rattled a bit when the king finally tugged on it. “Unlock it, Lae.”

I let out a long breath.

It was fine.

I was going to be fine.

Slipping out of bed, I padded over to the door. My hands shook as I undid the lock.

Ravv pushed the door open and stepped inside, then took one look at me before he wrapped me in a hug.

My body seemed to deflate as he gripped me against his chest. The bedroom door was still open, but he didn’t give a damn. My eyes watered at the warm comfort of his hug.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” he said into my hair.

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

It wasn’t okay.

I liked him more than I wanted to admit, and he could never put me first. His kingdom would always be his top priority, and veil, I was too much of a mess to be okay with being the second thing someone worried about. I was already that with Jern and Gora, and it was almost as lonely as being completely on my own.

If I could just keep my distance from him until after the eclipse, I could have my own place. I’d have time to move on from Ravv, and time to distance myself from the shitty memories the Beast had dredged up too.

…assuming the Demon didn’t kill us first.

I didn’t want to consider that option, though.

“What happened with the war?” I asked.

“The cult moved against the mated pairs and managed to break through their city’s walls in their latest attack. The mated fae slaughtered the cultists when they came in, razing their numbers. There can’t be many of them left at this point. But the cult killed two of the city’s fae—one was a child.”

“Veil.”

“Many of my warriors are trying to persuade me to move against the cult. A war on two sides would be harder for them to fight, and we could strengthen the gates of the mated.”

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