“You look entirely too gorgeous to be seen by others.” His voice was light and teasing, but I could hear the underlying sense of possession there. One that had me looking over him, wishing that he was naked instead of dressed and ready for the day.
“You look pretty good yourself.”
Before he could respond, though, Kolvar and Elijah walked into my room through the main door. The latter’s gaze caught mine, and the intensity of his need for me was obvious from the way his eyes heated. I loved how yesterday, despite his reservations and concerns for me, he’d followed my lead. Considering how dominant and in control of every situation the man was, his willingness to give into me spoke volumes about his feelings, as well as the importance of our relationship to him.
“I told Tristan we would meet them in the main dining hall for breakfast,” Kolvar announced. I nodded, following them out as Dakath smoothed a hand on my back, his touch comforting.
As we walked through the castle halls, I caught glimpses through windows of the city surrounding it. I was struck not only by its beauty, an occurrence every time I laid eyes on my new home, but by the way the sun seemed to shine down on it. There was something special about this land, an energy I’d never experienced before. The land, its kinder, softer people and their kinder, softer leader, motivated me to ensure that the threat from across the Cursed Divide didn’t touch any of this.
The men talked lightly as we neared the dining hall, and a relieved breath whooshed out of me upon seeing three familiar faces. I slipped away from my men and sped across the vast hall, past all others, before pulling to a stop at the table where Tristan and his family were seated.
“Ky!” Rina cried, throwing herself at me as a surprised laugh came out of my mouth.
Apparently, she had picked up on Dakath calling me that nickname, and I couldn’t deny that I loved it. The little girl’s head of brown hair was a bit messy this morning, and while delicately built like her mother, she squeezed me so tight it was a bit shocking.
“Hey you,” I crouched down as she pulled away, and I searched her gray eyes for any sign of stress, exhaustion, or possible fear. “How are you?”
“Well, I was super worried about you, but the nice lady”—I assumed she was talking about Myrin—“told me that you were okay. She was right!”
“Areyouokay?” Bailey asked, drawing my gaze away from the little girl and toward her mother.
Bailey held herself stiffly, and stress filled her eyes as she stared at me. I hated to have caused her any worry, but I was relieved to see that she seemed otherwise fine. I was still worried, but the tension sitting in my chest eased slightly. The men chatted quietly, offering me the opportunity to check on Tristan’s family, and I appreciated that more than I could ever express.
“Yes,” I assured her, standing up from my crouch before sliding onto the same bench as Rina. My gaze lifted to Tristan, who offered me a small, tired smile from across the table.
A concerned noise bubbled up from my throat. “Tristan, I am so sorry—”
“Nothing to apologize for,” he assured me, eyes filled with a lightness as he squeezed his wife’s hand that was intertwined with his across the table. “If anything, this little injury has allowed me the opportunity to slow down and spend time with my two favorite girls.”
My heart. That was so sweet.
“You should have never been injured,” I expressed, my jaw tightening. “Wewillensure that no one else is caught in the crosshairs again, I promise.”
“Despite my husband grossly understating his pain from the injury,” Bailey’s gaze filled with a tiny bit of mirth before turning serious, “I am glad he stepped out there in time to see what happened so he could tell the others.”
I frowned slightly, “If he hadn’t, he would have never—”
“If he hadn’t, you would have been taken and no one would have known for a much longer period of time,” Bailey insisted, her tone filled with concern.
Tristan nodded, his expression turning slightly haunted as he spoke. “We all know what Malakai’s lackeys are like.”
I shivered.
“It was Holmeth,” I muttered, and Tristan made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat as he shook his head. I heaved a deep breath before continuing, “He was leading the crew.”
Silence fell heavily around the table, and I glanced down at the marred top, digging my nail into the soft wood. Guilt ate at me with the realization that the family had been simply trying to enjoy their breakfast, and I brought a cloud of despair to them instead.
“I need to go to a meeting,” I said as I glanced back up, steeling my reserve. “But I just needed to make sure all of you were okay.”
Bailey’s smile was warm as she replied, “We are, and I would love, whenever you’re free, if you could come into town with us for the day. Rina found some shops—”
“I want to show you them!” Rina interrupted, smiling up at me before whispering conspiratorially, “They have one with some really cool swords that look like they could be for someone my size.”
A giggle burst from my lips. Cocking an eyebrow, I asked, “You want a sword now?”
She blinked up at me owlishly, a grin tugging at her lips as she said, “Of course, you and the nice lady have them.”
I didn’t correct her that mine were daggers, but I squeezed her shoulder gently. “I would love to come with you.” And I would. I knew we had a lot of big things to handle, but the three of them were becoming part of my found family—so a day out together sounded really nice.
