Page 99 of Once the Skies Fade (Immortal Reveries #2)

Chapter 99

Matthias

B rushing aside the eerie sense of deja vu, I gave the back of Calla’s hands a kiss only to have her shadows sneak out to caress my cheek when I started to pull away.

“Tell your shadows to save that for later,” I said with a wag of my brow. Calla rolled her eyes, but her laughter warmed the space between us.

We had barely ridden out of the trees and into the front courtyard when Connor’s voice called out. “There he is…and on time!”

Reluctantly I slipped my hand from Calla’s to slide down from my saddle, clasping my best friend’s hand and yanking him into an embrace. I smiled over his shoulder to where Lieke stood waiting patiently.

“It’s good to see you,” I said, releasing him, but he didn’t let go of my hand even when I gently pulled back.

He squeezed my hand tighter and scrutinized me for a breath, his eyes narrowing when they landed on my now rounded ears. Frowning, he said, “You seem to be missing something.”

“More than a few somethings,” I explained. “But that unpleasantness can wait for a future conversation.”

“Of course,” Connor said as he slid his gaze up to Calla, but his head snapped back to me at once. Understanding flashed in his eyes. “Stars be damned,” he uttered, his jaw falling open.

Ripping my hand from his grip, I offered Calla help as she dismounted.

“What is it, Wolfie?” Lieke asked, slipping her hand into Connor’s and stepping up beside him.

“Matthias—” he started to say, but I wasn’t about to let him steal my thunder.

Wrapping my arm around Calla’s back, I finished his sentence for him. “—would like to introduce you to my wife.”

“Your what?!” Lieke blurted out, but Connor was shaking his head.

“That’s not what I?—”

This time Calla interrupted him with a smile. “I’m also his mate.”

Lieke’s eyes went as wide as her mouth, and it might have been the first time I’d ever seen the woman speechless.

“Funny,” Connor said, dropping his head to the side, eyeing me in that obnoxious way he did whenever he was right about something. “You never believed in mates, and now you’ve found yours.”

“Smugness isn’t a good look on you, Your High—” I cleared my throat. “I guess it’s Your Majesty now, isn’t it.”

“Suppose so,” Connor said. “But no need to tiptoe around us here. You know his health was fading fast after Brennan…”

He shifted his eyes to Calla, his features tightening with regret.

Lieke, finally finding her voice, broke through the awkward silence. “I’m so glad to see you, Calla,” she said, approaching cautiously, as if she were afraid my mate might run off as she had the last time she had visited.

“Me too, friend,” Calla said, and slipping her hand from mine, she threaded her arm through Lieke’s and started to lead her toward the house. “Would you help me get ready?”

“Of course,” Lieke said. As they walked away, she sneaked a glance at me and whispered to Calla. “As long as you tell me everything that’s happened between you two.”

Nudging Connor with my elbow, I pulled my mouth into a lopsided grin. “Lieke still hasn’t learned that we can hear her whispers, has she?”

Connor uttered a single laugh. “No, she just gave up trying to speak that quietly.”

We started to follow our wives back to the palace when Connor stopped abruptly.

“What is it?” I asked, foolishly thinking it was something serious that had given him pause.

His features tightened, and he seemed to be searching the air for something. “You got married,” he started.

“I did.”

“Without me.”

“If it makes you feel any better, my sister wasn’t there either,” I said, frowning. “Is it that big of a deal?”

Connor shook his head slowly. “No, it’s not. I just would have liked to say I told you so.”