Page 85 of The Night Prince

I take a tentative step forward. “Callum?”

I’m not sure if it’s the uncertainty in my tone, the weakness, but his darkness shatters.

He crosses the space between us, and falls to his knees before me with a heavy thud. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his forehead against my stomach, and relief bursts through me. He’s still my Callum. His grip is almost too tight, and I want him to hold me tighter. I curl my hands around the back of his head while he mumbles something against my dress in a language I don’t know.

“Ghealach, Princess.” There’s a watery film over his eyes. The blood from his nose adds to Blake’s blood already staining my dress. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I should have been there. I should have gotten to you sooner.”

Do as he says.

I blink. “I thought you were angry with me.”

He drags his teeth over his swollen bottom lip. “I am angry. I’m furious. I’m jealous. I want to rip Blake’s fucking throat out and if you were not... connected to him, as you are, I’d have done it already. And I’m relieved. I’m so relieved that I feel like I’m floating out of my body. I’m so fucking happy to see you, to touch you, to know you’re alright.”

Something hardens inside me, and I force myself to look past the unfairness of his wrath. I brush my fingertips along the back of his neck, and he trembles. “How are you feeling about James?” I think about my own brother. I despise him, yet I can’t imagine how it must feel to take his life. “I know that your relationship with him was difficult, but you’re allowed to grieve—”

“He’s not dead.”

I still. “What? I thought you won the challenge?”

His shoulders harden, as if I’ve hit a nerve. “He forfeited. I knocked him out, then took over the fight against the southerners. I planned to deal with him later. He must have gained consciousness and escaped.”

My blood cools. The vision of James’s teeth when he sank them into me flashes behind my eyelids. The roar when I dragged my wolfsbane-dowsed fingers down his cheeks echoes in my ears. “He will come back to challenge you, Callum.”

He squeezes my hip, then pushes himself to his feet. “And I will beat him again. I sent Ryan after him.”

“Ryan?” My tone is incredulous, and a muscle twitches in Callum’s temple.

“Aye. Ryan. He’s like a wee brother to James. I don’t think James will harm him. When I know where he is, I’ll endthis for good.” He shakes his head. “It seems like we have bigger problems to deal with right now.”

“Alexander.”

“Aye.”

Another thick silence stretches between us. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Usually, his emotions are easy to read, but his face is blank. Unspoken words hang between us, and I know we need to voice them. Something I’m not used to doing. I clasp my hands together. “Callum—”

“There’s much I need to deal with before the day is through.” He clears his throat. “I’ve had someone prepare your old room. The one in the tower that you stayed in when you first came here.” My eyebrows lift, because I’d presumed we would share bedchambers, like we did at Lowfell. “I won’t be in my chambers at all today. I need to find space for Lochlan’s men. Rob is already trying to undermine me, and I need to get him under control if Alexander plans to attack. I thought you’d be more comfortable in your own space.”

Hurt ripples through me. “The thing that happened with Blake—”

He closes his eyes. “Please, don’t. Not now.”

“Callum, I know you’re upset—”

He opens his eyes. “I’m not angry with you, Rory, if that’s what you’re thinking. My wolf... I’m not in control right now. I need a bit of time to get my head around something, that is all.”

“Get your head around what?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. All of it. Things you don’t understand.”

“What things?”

“Not now. Get some rest. You’ve had a rough night. We’ll talk about it later. I promise.”

His lips are hard when he brushes them against my forehead. He strides to the door, heads out of the room, and leaves me alone.

The backs of my eyes burn. I want to scream. I sink my teeth into my finger, and revel in the blood that spills into my mouth.

I knew Callum would be upset, but I’m upset too. I was kidnapped, and held against my will. I was made a fool of in front of a room full of men. I was helpless, and not only was he witness to it, he encouraged it. I was almost shot, and Alexander tried to take me away. None of it was my fault.

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