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My mother would never speak to Huntley that way, and it was another moment when she showed her preference for him over me. She did it all the time unconsciously, and it never improved, despite my dedication to HeartHolme. “I wasn’t at the whorehouse.”
“Then where were you?”
“My business is my own, Mother,” I snapped. “I’m relieved that Harlow is alright. What else did the letter say?”
She recoiled slightly at my harshness but didn’t address it verbally. “The letter was written in a hurry and said nothing more.”
“Does Huntley want me to join him?”
“We need to prepare HeartHolme for war. If your brother needs you, he’ll send word.”
I nodded, feeling a relief so soothing it combated the pain Avice had just caused me. My mind had worked frantically to imagine all the horrible things happening to Harlow, and it was enough to make me collapse and never rise again. I should return to Avice and tell her the news, but I wasn’t ready to face her…not yet.
* * *
I sat at a table alone in the pub, eating my pot roast with a loaf of bread. The booze hadn’t worn off until a few hours ago, so I skipped it tonight. Now that war was brewing, I needed to be prepared for anything—like a breach of our gates.
Sometimes I received interested stares from the barmaidens and other girls, but I averted my gaze and pretended they didn’t exist. There was only one woman I wanted, and a beautiful night still wasn’t enough to make her take me back.
General Macabre walked inside the pub, not wearing his uniform and armor because he was off duty for the night. He was in charge of our armed forces, following my orders as the steward. My mother had stepped down some time ago due to her age, and the title had been passed to me. Despite the fact that he served me, we rarely spoke.
His eyes found mine, and he approached my table.
I wasn’t in the mood for conversation, especially about the threat that loomed over the continent, but he dropped into the chair across from mine anyway. He was still and quiet, and the look he gave me was lethal.
I had no idea what had provoked his hostility, but I stared back with my own wrath. “Do you have a problem, General?”
He was ten years younger than me, had been younger than me during the war with Necrosis, but he’d moved up in the ranks because of his skill with the blade and his unparalleled intellect. My mother had promoted him, and I agreed with that suggestion. His stare was still furious. “Stay away from Avice.”
He spoke very clearly, so I understood every word he said, but I was paralyzed on the spot because I didn’t comprehend a word of it. I didn’t speak, the horrible truth too much to bear.
“She’s moved on—and so should you.”
I’d met foes on the battlefield, held the best poker face in the game while they threatened to kill everyone I loved, and that was much easier to handle than this. I tried so hard to appear calm, to make my breathing normal rather than ragged, to hide how deep that blade just went into my ribs.
He got to his feet, prepared to leave now that the message was relayed. “You’re the reason that marriage ended. Now be a man and give her the divorce.”
22
HUNTLEY
The instant Storm dropped to the earth, I was on my feet and running past the gate into the city. I ran up the hill and approached the castle, expecting to see my wife and children, but I flew so fast and ran so hard that I probably beat the messenger.
I entered the castle doors and gave a scream. “Harlow!”
My daughter appeared a moment later, running up the stairs that led to the underground parts of the castle.
I nearly burst into tears at the sight of her.
“Father.” With her dark hair flowing behind her as she ran in her white dress, she came to me, eyes identical to mine. Like the child who used to run into my arms when I was gone for the afternoon, she headed straight to me.
My arms caught her and squeezed her to me, my hand supporting the back of her head like she was still a toddler. All the emotions I’d buried inside my hard chest came to the surface as I held my firstborn, my only daughter, and I closed my eyes to keep those tears contained. But my breathing was impossible to control, uneven and rough.
I held my daughter like it was the last time and I was on my deathbed.
She let me hold her as long as I wanted, didn’t try to pull away, didn’t say a word to me.
We remained that way for a long time, the world quiet around us, everything right once more.
