Page 6 of Lost Heir
I shook my head. “No.”
“Why not?”
I blew out a breath as I fiddled with the frayed edges of my blouse. “Honestly, I don’t know why. But I don’t want him to know about it. Just in case …”
“In case it puts Ronan in even more danger?” Selene whispered.
I nodded. “How did you know?”
Selene’s soft smile was knowing. “Because regardless of what has transpired, I know you care for Ronan deeply. It’s the first time in the five years I’ve known you that I’ve seen you care about someone other than me.”
“I care about my patients and others,” I scoffed, slightly offended.
Selene chuckled. “Yes, but it’s not the same. You wouldn’t risk your life for others. Not like you’ve done for me and Ronan.”
She wasn’t lying, but it wasn’t easy hearing the truth. In the short expanse of time I’d known Ronan, he’d gotten under my skin and wormed his way into my heart. Now it seemed I couldn’t rid myself of him.
“Enough about me. What’s going on with you and Marcellus?” I deflected, eager to shift the focus.
Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. “Nothing,” she whispered, too quickly.
I threw my head back and laughed, her denial too flimsy to be believed. “You can’t call me out and expect me not to do the same. Be honest with me, Selene. What happened that day at the Rose Petal when he spent an hour in a private room with you?”
She bit her bottom lip and nervously twiddled her thumbs. I elbowed her, snapping her out of her daze. “Nothing. Honest! I played the lute, danced, and … and I sang.”
My eyes widened. “Yousangfor him?” I choked out in shock. “Selene, why would you do that? A siren’s call is not only rare … it’s incredibly dangerous.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He was just so genuinelynice, and I wanted to do something special for him. I promise it was tame, so …”
“I know he liked you before then, but he could become obsessed with you because of this. Is this why—”
“No!” she exclaimed as she whirled on me. “That’s not why he bought me, I swear. It was just one little song; nothing too impactful.”
“Selene …” I urged.
“He’s really not that bad, Leila. Honest. I can tell he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.”
“You hardly know him—” I started, then caught myself. I hardly knew Ronan, either. I sighed. “What did you want to talk to him about in private? Will you tell me?”
She shook her head and dropped her gaze. “I’d rather not.”
I slowly closed my eyes and took deep breaths to calm down. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Selene,” I whispered as I opened my eyes again. “Valoria is nothing like the Central Plains. And my brother … is no prince charming.”
“I know,” she said softly. “Will you trust me?”
I stared into her emerald eyes, trying to see into her soul for a snippet of an answer, but she was like a stone wall. Not a crack in sight. “I trust you,” I finally said. “Just … be careful, Selene.”
She smiled brightly. “I will.”
As twilight wrappedits cloak around Asteria, our caravan came to a halt and settled into the embrace of the Central Plains for the night. The landscape stretched endlessly in all directions, a sea of grass beneath the burgeoning stars, itsvastness both a comfort and a reminder of our isolation. I was unsure how close we were to the border.
Gathered around a crackling fire that pierced the growing darkness, its warmth a small bulwark against the evening’s chill, Caelan, Selene, Marcellus, and I formed a makeshift circle. The flickering flames cast dancing shadows over our faces, reflecting in Caelan’s eyes as he tended to the fire with practiced movements. Beyond our little circle, the silhouettes of soldiers moved with efficient grace, their actions blending into the rhythm of the wilderness as tents rose from the ground and the scent of cooked meat filled the air.
“How far are we from Valoria?” My question broke the comfortable silence, a query borne of the same restlessness that stirred the fire.
Caelan paused, his gaze measuring the distance in his mind before answering. “We’re roughly two hundred kilometers away from the border, and maybe another hundred kilometers from the border to the palace.” His voice, steady and sure, did little to quell the nervous anticipation that buzzed beneath my skin.
Selene and I shared a log for seating, our proximity a small comfort in the vast, open plains. Across from us, Marcellus and Caelan mirrored our arrangement, yet an unspoken tension hovered between me and my brother, his attention occasionally straying towards Selene but never lingering long enough to bridge the gap of silence.
