“I suspect ‘burn them all’ lost its charm by the fourth suggestion.” I stifled a chuckle and pushed to stand.
“Any irritation was directed at your brother.” Kallias brushed my hair from my shoulders, loosening my laces. “By Elohios, he tests me.”
“He lacks tact.” A sigh escaped me. “He will grow into it. Men take much longer to mature.”
“Oh?” He kissed my shoulder, light and fleeting, retreating before I could trap him and convince him for more.
“Yes. That’s why I married you.” I flashed a bright smile. “I refused to wait for anyone to grow up.”
Greaves huffed a quiet, mirthful snort. With his back turned to me, he made a show of studying the canvas.
“Shortcutting life.” Kallias tsked. “Can’t say that’s wise. Perhaps if you married someone younger, you’d hold more influence over them. Older men resist change—too set in their ways.”
My brows lifted, and I stepped free of my dress, letting it pool at my feet. Cool night air kissed my skin as my hands settled at my waistband. “Do you doubt my powers of persuasion?”
His gaze slid down my body. Heat followed. “I never stood a chance.”
“Kal–” Greaves flicked the tent’s thin canvas. A reminder.
Kallias winced and tore his eyes away, shrugging out of his coat. “Reem is within our grasp. Another day at most.”
“I’m not rushing,” I muttered.
It seemed absurd, teasing amid war. Yet I’d seen his grief, his heartache. His hands wielded his spear against his own people. Their bodies crumpled from its shaft. There was too much sadness, and if I could ease that weight, offer him the slightest of reprieves—I would. It fell to me to lighten his load, and thatdidn’t just mean handling his affairs, but to be there for him—as his friend. And as his wife.
We changed into sleep clothes and settled into our bedrolls. No cot. No luxury. Not like we needed a cot when we had a folding table.
A smile tugged at me as I curled against his chest. He drew the furs over my shoulders, while Greaves remained seated, armored and alert.
“He won’t rest?” I whispered.
“Greaves?”
The older man studied me, expression unreadable, then dimmed the light.
“No.” Kallias traced my cheek, his fingers closing my eyes. “He will watch over us.”
“He never sleeps,” I murmured, tucking closer, and my husband’s hand anchored beneath my knee, holding me in place.
Greaves’ voice carried softly through the dark. “I’ll sleep when you’re safe.”
First light brought Tallon’s reply.
I hovered over Kallias’ shoulder, my stomach tightening as I read the neat, flowing script. Beautiful strokes, elegant and precise, born of a vile soul. The contrast unsettled me.
Father,
I will meet you on the plain at the tenth hour to discuss your surrender.
My hands shook as I leaned back, scanning the rest. Grounds. Conditions. Terms laid out with insulting civility. He truly expected Kallias to capitulate. That monster wrote as if myhusband were the criminal, as if Tallon weren’t the traitor hiding behind stolen walls.
My teeth ground together. Anger surged, sharp and hot. A dragon roared somewhere beyond the tents, echoing the fury crawling beneath my skin. I forced it down, quelling my rage. I was a queen. Tallon would not be the first man to prod and provoke me.
With luck, he would share Galdoni’s fate.
“The fleet should arrive before then,” I said, stepping away to wash my face.
We hadn’t even begun preparations, and already my throat tightened. Nerves pressed like fingers around my windpipe, threatening to suffocate me.
