Page 54 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

“Yeah. My village kept me protected in a cave outside town so I wouldn’t kill their crops with my wind. There was never enough food to go around, even before my magic came in,” she admitted.

Damn, she hadn’t even been a prisoner. I knew my luck had been shitty.

“I’m sorry.” I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “The king of my city kept me locked in a cellar beneath their prison, so I can imagine the misery of that.”

Her eyes flooded with horror. “Veil.”

“Yeah. At least we’re free now.”

She nodded, though she looked a bit nauseous. “How are you not scared senseless? You don’t even look nervous about being here, and I feel like I can barely breathe through the terror.”

My lips curved upward, and I leaned toward her. “The best way to stop being afraid is to act like you’re not. The more confidently you carry yourself, the more people will believe you’re confident, even if you’re terrified on the inside.”

She sighed. “That sounds… difficult.”

“But worth it.”

She nodded reluctantly.

Someone brought my food out, and we both grew quiet as we ate. A few minutes into the meal, I let myself look around the room until my gaze caught on a large man.

A familiar large man.

“Dammit, Ravv,” I growled into his mind, continuing to eat like nothing was wrong at all.

“You wanted space. I’m giving you space.” His words were far calmer than I expected. “You’re free to be alone and do as you wish, and I’m free to know where you are and what you’re doing.”

“I told you Gleam or Elwynne could come with me.”

“Both of them are sleeping. Just act like I’m not here.” He continued eating.

I looked back at Kaelle and found her slouching against her chair, her eyelids barely open. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I think I just need to go to bed,” she whispered. “It’s been a long week.”

That felt like the understatement of the century.

“Get out of here, then.” I waved her toward the door, and she nodded. She leaned against the giant wolf as she made her way out of the dining hall.

I expected Ravv to come over and sit by me, but he remained where he was.

“What do you call the big, magical wolves?” I asked him.

“Xuno. The one with the blue-haired human is Vayme’s bonded beast. His name is Strong.”

I took a big bite of my food. “How well do you and the other kings know each other?”

“Not well. We’ve been enemies for centuries, but we’ve met on the battlefield enough times to know certain facts about each other—and we were forced to get on civil terms as we negotiated for peace. It took a few years to get from peace talks to actually ending the war.”

I nodded, then focused on my food.

Eventually, Elwynne showed up at the dining hall and leaned in close to whisper something to Ravv.

I ignored the jealousy that stirred in my lower belly, refusing to envy a woman I didn’t know when it came to a man I had never actually decided I wanted. We were mates, but fate wasn’t all-powerful. It couldn’t always be right.

“A few of my warriors are getting too vicious in today’s events,” Ravv told me, his voice laced with irritation. Since it wasn’t geared toward me, my lips curved upward just a bit. “I need to go deal with them. Elwynne will show you around the city today—just tell her when the distance starts causing you pain, and she’ll take you closer to me. I don’t want you at the fights.”

“What if I want to see the fights?” I countered.

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