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When Armen spoke again, his words were hurried as he stumbled to clean up the mess he had made. “M-my point is that I wish I could have stopped. That’s all.”
Wrong answer.
The blood beneath Graeson’s skin buzzed. A frigid river begging to break through the slab of ice on top. It took every ounce of willpower not to act on the rising anger. Every ounce to stay put as Armen kept on talking.
“If I would have been here, maybe I could have caught a conversation between her and Myra. Kalisandre and the handmaiden were very close, you know.” Armen chuckled awkwardly. But despite the daggers Graeson was sending through his icy glare, Armen continued, “After all, that was whyIwas sent to Ardentol in the first place. My hearing is beyond exceptional. I could have—”
Crack.
The brittle wall shook as Armen’s back pounded into it, sending a burst of dust into the air. Graeson’s fingers dug into the front of Armen’s shirt. The fabric scrunched inside his palm. A crack spread across the wall.
No matter. They would have to demolish this wall anyway due to the damage from the fire.
Armen coughed.
As Graeson watched Armen wiggle beneath his hold, the beast inside him smiled. Graeson still owed Armen a fist in the face for insulting Kalisandre’s character after the carriage attack. While Kalisandre didn’t need anyone fighting her battles, Graeson would not listen to Armen spew insult after insult. He would not listen to Armen’s claim that Kalisandre wasn’t worth it.
Little did he know, she was wortheverything. Because even though the situation was complicated, the bond that pulled Graeson toward her was still there, humming in the pit of his stomach. And he would not give up on that.
Graeson tightened his grip, his elbow digging into Armen’s shoulder. His face was only inches away from Armen’s, his breath hot in the space between them. “And what would your specialhearinghave done, Armen? How would it have helped us when our people were dying and their homes were burning down?”
Armen swallowed.
“Go on, tell me.” Graeson slammed him against the wall again, and the crack spiderwebbed. “How would it have helped when Fynn was dying? He was one of ourbestfighters. How wouldyouhave helped?”
Armen’s lips parted, but Graeson slammed him against the wall again. Graeson sensed the presence of a crowd growing around them, but he didn’t care. No one would stop him. No one could.
Graeson’s gaze flitted over Armen’s face. Armen’s skin had gone pale, fear emblazoned on his face.
What are you waiting for?A voice said in the back of Graeson’s mind.Give him what he deserves.
Graeson’s nose twitched.
Do it.
Graeson’s nail dug in. Red shaded the corners of his vision.
Then his shoulders dropped.
I am not a monster,Graeson told the voice. His fingers unclenched, but a wrinkled ball remained above Armen’s heart. “For once in your life, Armen, make yourself useful.”
As Graeson walked away, the monster inside of him roared.
Chapter6
KALLIE
After Phaia had givenKallie a tour of the grounds, which included everything from the staff housing to the castle’s private hospital wards in the west wing, Phaia left Kallie in the queen’s wing.
While the handmaiden was nice, Kallie was thankful for a moment of reprieve after having been dragged around the castle for several hours. She could only handle so much nodding, so many fake smiles. She needed time alone to process everything. Noon was approaching, which meant she still had time to sneak away before meeting her father and Rian to discuss the next steps.
She reached for the doorknob, but her hand froze, an eerie prickle scaling up her arms as whispers seeped through the door.
Tossing a wary glance over her shoulder, Kallie reached underneath her skirt and unclasped the dagger attached to the holster strapped around her thigh. The loud thump of her heart echoed in her ears.
Adjusting her grip around the dagger’s hilt, she cracked open the door. Through the tiny slit, she spotted a pair of polished black shoes. Dragging her gaze up the person’s leg, Kallie exhaled in relief.
Domitius sat at a new small maple wood table one of the servants must have brought to her room while she was gone. His gaze was directed away from the door while he talked to someone hidden from view.
