“That’s very sweet of you, but shouldn’t you be taking care of yourself, too?” Ronya gave me a comforting pat on the back as she shuffled out of her chair to search for anything edible in their tight kitchen area even though they hadn’t expected me, nor had I asked for anything more than the drink I still hadn’t touched.
“Coming here is helping me,” I admitted. The atmosphere of their cottage was warm and welcoming, exactly what I needed. Their attentiveness never felt intrusive.
“We heard you’d been taken to the dungeons and the princess was kidnapped.” Drek had a complete opposite approach to Ronya’s tender demeanour. He liked to get straight to the point. If there was something he wanted to know, he didn’t beat around the bush and wait for people to tell him things on their own terms. Even that didn’t feel intruding.
“That’s all sorted out now. She’s back safe and sound.” I knew if they’d heard about the dungeon and the kidnapping they’d also heard about my mate bond.
While they were likely curious about it, neither of them brought it up. I rubbed my face before I took a sip of the Void Sundance.
I added, “She’s been through so much since she arrived. I’m not sure I’m able to offer her everything she deserves. I wasn’t able to protect her, which is the part that I hadn’t even worried about since that’s what I do for a living.”
“Taking care of another person is always daunting at first.” Drek gave Ronya a brilliant smile when she placed a half-cut meat pie on the table and brought out cutlery. “Do you think I got it right the first time I approached Roro? Hell no. She sent me walking with a dubious grin on her face. Didn’t think I’d try again, but here we are. If you love her, I have all faith that you’ll give her everything she needs.”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat, a storm of emotions warring in my mind. “I’m… damaged.”
“Aren’t we all?” He raised a brow.
“Love has a healing quality,” Ronya said. She cut me a piece of the meat pie and slid it in front of me.
“So does a hearty meal and a good night’s sleep,” Drek pointed out with a smile, making a plate for himself as well. “I can skip on the sleep if you’d like me to, but I will never say no to Ronya’s cooking.”
“Nor to her love, I’d figure,” I pointed out, the corners of my lips tugging up, my mood lifting.
“Certainly not,” he agreed.
“I… I feel the same way about Isay,” I confessed.
“She’s incredibly lucky to have you, Kar.” Ronya gave me one of her warm smiles that said she believed every word of it.
I wasn’t as sure, but I wasn’t going to correct her on it. Their unconditional support was what I came here for in the first place. I might start to believe it if I stayed here long enough to soak in their belief.
I took another sip of my drink and stabbed a fork into the meaty goodness on the plate in front of me. She did know how to cook, and Drek was right, saying no to any of her meals was a crime. I was also starving. With all the action of the day, I hadn’t had time to eat. Now that the adrenaline and all the negative emotions had eased up, my growling stomach came into hyper-focus.
“With everything the princess has done to the court, it’s really good to know she has someone to take care of her,” Drek said.
He’d said something entirely different before the delther attack, but I wasn’t going to remind him of that. It might’ve been just a few days ago, but it felt like ages now. A lot had changed since then. Opinions had changed. My whole world had changed.
“We’d fully expected that we’d need to keep Ronya’s recovery a secret, but when the entire court was revived, it was no longer a necessity. You’ve got yourself a strong woman.”
I wondered if Isay was really mine. None of the people knew of the nature of our relationship, nor that our bond wasn’t intentionally formed. I still didn’t know if she felt the same way about me. Little did I know I was about to find out when a knock on the door brought us all on high alert.
It was late. It was indeed incredibly late, and any normal visitors would have long gone to bed. No sensible person would be out knocking on people’s doors at his hour. However, had the intruder been truly insane, they wouldn’t have bothered with the gesture at all.
I followed Drek to the door with my hand hovering over my belt. I’d lost my second sword somewhere in the warehouse but still wore a knife strapped to it and that would do just fine should I need it.
“I’m looking for—” the messenger began until he saw me lingering behind the homeowner. “Karmuth, the princess has been asking for you.”
“Right now?” I asked, suddenly abashed. She should be sleeping, like the rest of the normal people in this court. My heart thrummed in my chest with exhilaration and concern. Why would she send for me right now?
Part of my brain went to the previous night we’d shared in her chambers, and more than just my heart perked up. Part of my brain worried she’d been hurt somehow, but that gave her no reason to ask for me; I wasn’t a doctor. Perhaps she needed to talk to me as much as I needed to talk to her and did not consent to waiting until morning.
“Several hours ago, sir. You are a hard man to find.”
I nodded to the fae in acknowledgement and sent him to bed. If Isay had sent for me hours ago, would she still be up waiting for me? Would she think I’d rejected the request?
I dragged my hand through my hair with a grimace. It was still flaked with enemy blood.
“May I use your shower, please?” I was going to go to her, but not looking like this. If she was asleep, at least I’d given myself a proper wash. If she was waiting for me, I’d look less like a monster and more like a man.
A man she might want to be comforted by. But that was wishful thinking. That was all just wishful thinking.
“Of course, Kar. I’ll go find you a clean pair of clothes to wear.” Ronya disappeared to the back room only to come out a moment later. A towel and an old pair of Drek’s clothes dangled from her hands. Anything was better than what I was wearing right now.
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
She smiled. “You’re family. I know you might think you have none, but you’re always welcome here, Kar.”
A mother figure. Ronya was indeed like a mother figure to me. I hadn’t noticed before. The way she’d taken care of me even after Drek hadn’t been approved for royal guard and I was. She held no bitterness, only support. Always support.
They’d find out soon enough, so I figured there was no harm in telling them. “Actually, it turns out King Grath is my father.”
Chapter 47
ISAY
WAS I DISAPPOINTED? AS IF DISAPPOINTED EVEN BEGAN TO DESCRIBE what I felt. I’d sat on every surface in the room, the coffee table included. Unable to still my over-wired heart, I kept fidgeting with the loose hanging belt of my bathrobe, stood up again only to sit down in a different position.
He wasn’t coming. Karmuth wasn’t coming, but I was way past being able to sleep and steered right into the land of insomniac nutcase. One who wasn’t past stalking said warrior should I be let out of my cage of a room.
