Page 11 of Queen to the Sunless Court (Brides of Myth #2)

Still Water

Theron

A shy ray of morning light teased Theron’s eyes open. He stirred, momentarily confused at where he was, then his hand instinctively reached for Calliste’s.

Still warm.

He exhaled, groggy but relieved, and propped himself up on his elbow to place his hand on her forehead. Feels right to me.

His thoughts immediately shifted to Kalias, sparking a moment of breathless panic until he reasoned his way out of it. If anything was wrong with Kalias, I’d be the first to know.

A tiny, ironic voice in his head remarked on how the two people he cared about most were now both comatose.

Brightness flooded over him as he sat up. Dawn gilded the horizon, washing over the endless rooftops and spilling into the sea, so much more hopeful than the previous dawn, when he had rushed in to find her bleeding, fearing he had lost her forever.

He rubbed his eyes and scrutinized her again, searching for any concerning signs—but nothing seemed to have changed since the night before. He rose from the bed, stretched, then glanced at the rumpled sheets he had left, smoothing them over with a soft chuckle.

“The first time, Lykos snuck you into my bed. This time, I snuck in myself. So tell me, Calliste,” he murmured, “how is it that we’ve shared a bed twice and not once in the way we should?

” he sighed, circling the bed to crouch down next to her and twirl a lock of her hair around his finger. “Third time’s the charm, I hope.”

He froze as the door creaked open.

Gaiane entered, her sharp eyes immediately locking onto him. “Well. I haven’t seen that look in years, Theron.”

He quickly released Calliste’s hair. “What look?” he asked, rising to his full height.

“The last time I saw it was when I caught you and Lykos in the pantry stuffing your faces with my honey cakes well before dinner.”

He blinked at the distant memory. “I must have been Kalias’ age.”

“Seventeen, you were.”

“Oh?” He shrugged. “Might as well have been seven, when it comes to resisting your honey cakes. And we weren’t the first or last to be caught sneaking them. I recall Melitta had to run very fast one day when you caught her.”

Gaiane’s eyes sparkled. “Indeed.” Her gaze shifted to Calliste. “Panakeios is here to change her dressings.”

“Oh. Good.”

“He also offered to stay by her side until she wakes up. Which might be soon, I believe.”

“How can you tell?”

Gaiane leaned over Calliste and pointed at her pendant. “Look.”

He peered at it. Although it wasn’t the exact shade he remembered, it was noticeably greener, perhaps halfway to its original color.

Gaiane smiled at the sleeping Calliste, then raised her brow at him.

“Maybe consider a bath, Theron, and then attend the Assembly. Xanthos has been even more tight-lipped than usual. I suspect he can’t keep it up much longer if you don’t show up, especially since, as I understand, the last the Assembly saw of you was your confrontation with Solon. ”

Theron winced. “That wasn’t pretty, I admit.”

“You don’t need to worry about Solon right now. I expect Xanthos will tell you, but as far as I know, Solon has retired to his villa in Knossalikon.”

Theron stared at her. “Are you telling me that my ever-drunk father-in-law has left the palace ? Damn it, why didn’t I think of roughing him up earlier—”

“Theron.”

“Jesting.” He raised his hands. “Just jesting. Fine. I’ll check on Kalias and get back to my duties.” He cast another glance at Calliste. “What do you think about Panakeios staying here? I’ve agreed to the change of dressing, but nothing beyond that.”

The morning sun illuminated Gaiane’s white hair and her deep brown eyes, giving her the appearance of a fierce deity of wisdom.

“What do I think? That he’s acknowledged his wrongdoings and redeemed himself.

Men are notoriously bad at either, so I’d give him another chance, especially since he’s more than capable of looking after her. ”

He scoffed. “More than when he was looking after Kalias.”

“Don’t tell him that. I never said he forgot about his pride.”

Theron snorted. “If you are cracking jokes, then everything is bound to be just fine.” Yet as he spoke, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking, don’t lie to yourself. It won’t be.