Page 78 of A Courage of the Chosen

Better get used to it, my subconscious scoffs.

I can feel the sparkling wine calling my name the moment everyone has performed what they deem necessary. I just didn’t think it would take this long.

Two figures cut through the mass of bodies. One of them I’d know instantly, even if he didn’t demand your attention with his rugged jaw and cutting gaze.

His jacket is a deep maroon, and tailored to the broad expanse of his chest like he was born to it. The color complements the gray of his eyes perfectly, and my breath caught when his focus honed in on me earlier. Black pants, shining boots reaching just below his knee, and a short sword at his side complete the look.

His unruly hair is behaving for once, and neatly combed away from his face, making it look artfully tousled in a way that begs for me to run my fingers through it. He’s trimmed his beard down to a thick stubble, highlighting the sharp planes of his face.

He looks dangerous.

And delicious.

I’m not the only one that’s noticed, either. A woman who appears to be similar in age to me, in a teal green dress, watches Callahan hungrily as he strides forward with confidence.

Her face is familiar, and it takes me a minute to piece together who she is. She’s the same woman who had her sights set on Tavish at my first ball here. She shot me daggers when Tavish danced with me, and only me.

She was the one Raghnall had picked out for him. The perfect partner for his heir and future king.

Seems someone else has caught her eye now. An ugly emotion winds through my chest as she drinks him in. When her brown eyes fall to his ass and thighs, the urge to mark him as mine is nearly overpowering.

I trust Callahan would never do that, he’s too singular, but she watches him as though calculating how to ensnare, and I don’t like it one fucking bit.

Reyne said her name was Paisley Ross, her mother a lady, who cares about her reputation more than anything else, including her daughter. They’d barely curtseyed when they came before the dais, both of them silently criticizing my every move.

I drag my focus away from Paisley and back to Callahan.

He was equal parts stunned and feral when he offered me a hand to navigate the few steps onto the dais, and he practically stripped me bare as his eyes devoured me. The feeling didn’t disappear either, making it incredibly difficult to focus on what needed to be done.

The same look is on his face now as he, and someone who looks an awful lot like him, near the bottom step. Callahan bows low, a tiny smirk on the corner of his mouth. “Your Majesty.”

“General,” I respond.

“This is my uncle, Lord Harris Sellar.” Callahan indicates to the man on his right, almost as tall as him with dark brown hair that’s streaked with age. His eyes are a shade darker than his niece and nephew’s, but the resemblance is unmistakable.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty,” Lord Sellar says, bowing as deeply as Cal had.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“My nephew has told me lots about you.”

For some reason I’m nervous. “Good things, I hope?”

I met Callahan’s mother before we became . . . whatever we are. This is the first time I’m meeting his family since things have changed between us.

Lord Sellar chuckles. “Only the best, Your Majesty. I’d say he seems quite taken with you, but I fear that would be stating the obvious.”

That pulls the first genuine smile from me all evening, and it only deepens when Callahan’s cheeks tinge with a delicate pink you wouldn’t spot if you didn’t know him like I do.

“Really? That’s what you’re going with?” he whispers to his uncle.

“What? I’ve been waiting a long time for someone to finally catch your eye. You cannot deny me the pleasure of teasing you about it, dear nephew.” Lord Sellar tucks his hands into the pockets of the black pants that match his jacket.

Callahan rubs a large hand over his chin. “For fuc—”

Lord Sellar cuts him off with a click of his tongue. “Now, now. That’s no way to speak in front of our queen.”

Brodie steps forward to clasp hands with him. “She’s far worse, trust me.”