Page 55 of Once the Skies Fade (Immortal Reveries #2)

Chapter 55

Calla

I rushed into the meeting room to find it dark, cold, and completely empty.

Isa had fucking lied to me.

Pulling my shadows out, I slammed them into the nearest chairs, sending them to the floor in a satisfying crash. I stalked around the room and lifted my hands to do the same to the rest of the furniture, but what was the stars-damned point? A growl rushed from my lungs as I pulled out a chair so hard it nearly toppled out of my hands. Grinding my teeth, I focused on steadying my movements and calming my mind enough for me to sit down without falling on my ass.

My elbows dug into the table while my hands cradled my forehead. Trailing the grains of the wooden table with my weary eyes, I took long, slow breaths and tried to calm my chaotic mess of thoughts.

Humans.

Assembly.

Killing.

Trials.

Matthias.

Mates.

The word swirled and swelled in my head until it crowded out everything else, like a rising river overflowing its banks and drowning everything in sight.

Why had Matthias even suspected a bond might exist between us?

What had sparked that idea in his head?

Had I done something to?—

I sighed. Fine, yes, I had done quite a bit. It hadn’t been him sneaking into my rooms at night to seduce me.

My lips slid into a half-smile at the thought of him doing just that, but I shook my head once and forced the smile away. That was less than helpful at the moment. I couldn’t worry about that right now. There were bigger issues to deal with––like the two women currently locked in my dungeon.

And the male who made a fool out of me in front of the entire kingdom.

What was I supposed to do with him?

I couldn’t just let him go, as if he’d done nothing wrong.

Weak, pitiful, small.

That’s how he’d made me look when he’d intervened, and that’s exactly how I would appear if I didn’t do something to punish him. But what could I do?

And what if he was actually my…mate?

If Isa had arrived a bit later, then I wouldn’t be sitting here wondering what if . Of course, had she arrived earlier, he never would have had the chance to say the word at all, and I wouldn’t be sitting here fretting—at least not about a possible bond.

My head ached.

The door slid slowly open, letting in a stream of flickering candlelight from the hallway lamps. Without looking up, I said, “Thanks, Isa, for lying about?—”

“Isa lied about something?” The male’s question had me spinning quickly toward the door where Graham strolled in, carrying a bottle and two glasses in his hands. “Must have been for a good reason.”

I dropped my head back into my hands and muttered my question. “What do you want? How did you know I was here?”

With his foot, he tugged one of the still-upright chairs closer and sat down. “Saw you stomp your way in here. I thought you could use a drink after what happened.”

His cheery tone made me uneasy. I pushed away from the table and settled back in my seat, clasping my hands in my lap. My shadows stirred, though differently than usual, almost like they were trying to burrow deeper into my veins rather than begging to come out. I rubbed a thumb into one of my palms and then the other, a perhaps silly attempt to soothe the power beneath.

“You sneak into my room to grab my brandy?” I asked, though I was sure he wouldn’t have the nerve.

“This is mine, actually,” he said. “You aren’t the only one who likes Vrani?’s. This is actually my last bottle. I’m hoping the next shipment isn’t delayed too much longer.”

As he spoke, he poured healthy portions into two glasses and slid one my way. I eyed it, but didn’t reach for it. He gently swirled the dark liquid in his before lifting the glass to his lips and taking a small sip.

“You seem to be in good spirits,” I said flatly. I nearly noted how far behind he was in the tournament standings, but thought better of it.

He nudged the other glass forward with his long fingers and ignored my comment, instead switching topics. “Why are you in here anyway? Meeting Isa or something?”

“Not sure I should say, Graham. You’re a competitor,” I reminded him, hoping his love for rules and laws would mean he’d accept this and not push. Pivoting in his seat, he leaned forward, resting his lanky arms in his lap so his hands—still holding his drink—came unnecessarily close to my knees.

“Sometimes I wish I hadn’t entered this tournament so we could still talk. I miss how close we used to be, Cal.”

He stared down at his hands so I couldn’t read his expression. We hadn’t been close since Brennan and I had married. Even when my parents had been lost at sea and I had to work more closely with him as the royal advisor, we hadn’t spent as much time together as we had when we were younger.

“That’s just part of growing up,” I said, casually, but when he shifted just enough to look up at me from beneath his tight brow, I realized my error.

“Glad to know my friendship was so easily set aside. Just another season of life to be discarded as mere memory.” He bit out the words, his features as rigid as his tone. Straightening in his seat, he threw the rest of his drink down his throat before doing the same with my untouched glass.

“Graham,” I started, though I didn’t make any effort to stop him when he pivoted to leave.

He pointed the bottle of Vrani?’s at me and seemed about to say something more when his expression started to soften, his arm falling slowly back to his side.

“I just hope you get all you deserve, Your Majesty,” he said, not waiting for my reaction before rushing out of the room.

The door had barely shut when it swung open again. Soft but determined footsteps walked toward me, and I slid my gaze up to Isa, who quickly assessed the state of the room before finally looking at me.

“Did Graham try to bribe you with that fancy bottle or was he merely celebrating Matthias’s failings?” she asked, crossing her arms loosely in front of her.

A heavy sigh rushed from my lips, and I rolled my head back and around to stretch out the tightness in my neck. “Not really sure. Both, maybe.” I settled back in my chair and propped my feet up on Graham’s empty seat, eyeing my friend quizzically. “So did you get what you wanted from Matthias?”

“More or less, I suppose.”

“What are we going to do with them?” I asked.

“What do you want to do?” she asked cautiously, one eyebrow lifting.

“Well, I can’t do nothing,” I started, pausing for a moment when she nodded knowingly. “I mean, they broke the law. One entered the kingdom despite the ban, and the other aided fugitives! I’d look weak if I simply let them go.”

“Who said you needed to let them go?” Isa asked, though from the flatness of her tone I could tell she knew already.

“Matthias,” I muttered anyway.

“And is he your new advisor?” Her face remained stoic, though a spark of humor flashed in her eyes.

“Maybe he should be.”

At this she laughed, one single, dry chuckle. “As if you would be content with him in that role.”

I scowled at her but said nothing.

“What will you do with him?” she finally asked, shifting her gaze from mine as she sought out a toppled chair, righted it, and sat down. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she crossed her ankles and rested her head on her crossed arms.

“I don’t want to punish him,” I said.

“Don’t you?” she asked. “He made a fool?—”

“You don’t need to remind me. I was there.” I scowled at my friend, but that only earned me a kind smile.

“Let him go. He’s a contender in the tournament. As the Assembly wanted today to be a pseudo trial of sorts, I could always use my discretion as tournament host to determine his fate—say something like he showed great heart and strength of spirit for being willing to question you.”

“Strength of spirit,” I muttered. She wasn’t wrong there. The male had his convictions, and damn all the stars if that didn’t make him that much more attractive.

“I mean,” Isa continued, “we don’t want a king who lacks the balls to stand up for what he believes, right?”

“You just had to say balls, didn’t you?”

“How are his, by the way?” Isa’s eyes narrowed, her lips curving into an equally wicked grin.

Kicking my foot into hers, I blew out an annoyed breath. “First you’re lecturing me about messing around with him, and now you want all the juicy details.”

“I never asked for all .” She gave a single wag of her brows. “Is he better than Brennan?”

The smile I didn’t remember donning vanished at the mention of my late husband’s name, but the twinge of guilt that hit lacked its usual heart-crushing weight, feeling more like a light punch to my chest instead of a crushing wave.

Isa sat up, pulling her legs as she leaned toward me, concern twisting her features. “Shit. I’m sorry, Calla. That was?—”

I waved away her apology, but couldn’t think of anything to say in response. A long silence stretched out between us, penetrated only by the occasional soft breath and our heartbeats as they settled.

“Can I ask, though,” Isa finally said, peering at me with an almost apologetic look, “what did I interrupt down there? Between you two, I mean. You leapt away from him like you’d just been caught kissing someone else’s mate.”

I froze as my mind started to spin out again. “What did you say?”

“Like you’d been caught kissing?” she asked tentatively.

“No. The last word.”

“Male?”

“No, you said mate.”

“Did I?” She seemed genuinely unsure. My head bobbed in a string of nervous nods. “If I did, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just a word.”

“It’s not just a word, Isa,” I said, my nerves returning.

“Wait,” she breathed, angling her head at me and staring. “You’re not?—”

“No.” I shoved the word out of my mouth but then had to back track. “I mean, I don’t think so. Hopefully not.”

Her chin jutted out toward me, her eyes narrowing even more. “You haven’t kissed?”

Slowly, I lifted a shoulder, squeezed my lips into a firm line, and shook my head.

“But you’ve?—”

I nodded.

Isa slumped back in her chair, dropping her hands into her lap like a mother who’d given up trying to get her children to listen.

I pushed to my feet and began to pace out a small square in front of my friend, twisting my hands awkwardly in the air as I tried to explain. “We were…I was…about to kiss him to make sure we weren’t… you know…but then you walked in.”

“Oh,” Isa breathed out.

I continued moving, pushing all my nerves down into my meandering feet.

“If you are, though…shit,” she muttered. “We should have probably included a provision for that in the tournament rules, because what happens if he is…but doesn’t win?”

“The stars wouldn’t be so cruel, would they?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. Of course they would be. The stars didn’t actually care about anyone down below as they knit together hearts and souls with their bonds. Isa rose from her seat and grabbed my elbows, forcing me to stand still and face her.

“It will all be okay, Calla.”

I wished I could believe her.