Page 118 of Severed Heir

She smiled. “Any friend of Myla’s is a friend to me. And I’ll make it short enough to run in.”

It had been too long since someone touched me with that kind of motherly care. Maybe she thought I was delirious. Maybe I was. But I needed this more than I’d realized.

“Myla’s strong,” I murmured. “She made rank at Malvoria. Led her first mission a few weeks ago.”

Gailyn set her mug down, pride flickering in her eyes. “She’s one of a kind, that girl.”

I wondered if meeting Myla’s mother was more than coincidence. Maybe the wind knew I needed her.

“Thank you,” I said. “For the drink. And the kindness.”

She nodded. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

I stepped out into the night, bracing for whatever hell waited after being gone an hour.

“Where were you?” Damien hissed after I made it back to the estate. “I had my father’s guards searching the entire city. I thought you were taken.”

I sat cross-legged on the wooden floor in my room, sipping wine and twirling a dagger in the other hand. “Am I not free to wander?”

“Not when you disappear for hours.”

“You don’t control me,” I shot back. “You may force me to marry you, but I won’t listen to a damn word you say.”

“Keep drinking that wine and you’ll be a mess,” he sneered. “You don’t want to admit that a part of you loved me.”

“No part of me loves you,” I spat. “I correct myself… loved you.”

Damien flinched as if I’d struck him with a hot sword. “We have guests coming to announce our wedding. I suggest you pretend to at least like me.”

“Like hell.”

“I believe there is a guest you’ll want to impress.”

“Who is coming?” I asked. “I don’t care to impress anyone.”

His eyes narrowed, calculating. “Hold my hand at dinner, and I’ll tell you.”

“If you think I care to impress anyone, you are mistaken.”

“This person you will.”

I sighed. “How about I glance your way, and we call it a deal?”

He leaned in, offering me a crooked smile. “Promise?”

“Yes.”

“The king… he’s the one you need to convince that you don’t love Archer anymore. And your brother, Charles. Your little performance for his freedom. They may have released Archer from the prison, but he’s still on trial for treason. All you did was spare him the torture.”

“The king has a truth quell. That won’t help me.”

Damien swept a finger beneath my chin, tilting my face toward his. “Doesn’t matter. Now smile, Sev. Like you fucking mean it.”

I bared my teeth. “How’s this?”

He studied me for a beat. “Better, I suppose. Though it’s more beast than bride.”

Oh, I’d smile. I’d smile when I burned this whole sham of a marriageto the ground.

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