Page 35 of The King is Dead
“No!” I was frantic. “Gall,Iknow it too—he can’t hide that from me. Or deceive me about it.”
“But you’re good and kind and you tell lies all the time to protect people.”
“I… yes, I mean,sometimes,but not here—”
“He would have told me. He always promised me if he found a mate he would tell me.”
“And he did!” I pointed out. “He didn’t tell you sooner because we were hiding it fromeveryone.We had to decide how to… I mean, we wereenemies, Gall. You understand how that makes things difficult, right? The Nephilim would have torn us apart if they’d known. As it was, the King attempted it.”
I could have cursed myself for bringing up Gault, because Gall’s eyes went wide, then shuttered completely and he took another small step back from me.
“I know how to keep secrets,” he mumbled. “I wouldn’t tell… not on purpose.”
Oh God. I inched closer and put a gentle hand on his arm. “I know that, Gall. I do now. I’m sorry we didn’t trust you sooner. That wasourmistake. And I want you to know… Gall, look at me.”
He raised his eyes from the ground to meet my eyes, looking wary.
I kept my voice low. “I want you to be confident that I will keepyoursecrets, too. Do you understand?”
He nodded slowly.
“So,” I said, a little breathless. “We will keep each other’s secrets, and all is going to be well. Right?”
“I suppose.”
I sighed. “Gall… Melek is sad and tired. It would help him a lot if he could see you and know you’re safe.”
But Gall frowned and shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
I had to be so careful. “Do you not believe me that he never hurt me?”
“No. I believe you but… but he lied to me, and he said he never would.”
God, it was heartbreaking. “But that’smyfault, Gall. He was only trying to protect me.”
“That’s what he told you,” Gall said sullenly. “It might not be the real reason. He says lots of things and they aren’t all true.”
I gripped his arm, trying one more time. “Do you remember, Gall, when you had dinner, at the beginning of the Covenant… and he told you that he’d explain later? That it was like the secret orders for war? And he would tell you when it was safe?”
“Yes,” he said uneasily.
“That was real. Hewantedyou to know. He was waiting for the time it was safe.”
Gall’s jaw tightened. “A time when I couldn’t tell his secrets.”
“Yes. I mean, no—that’s not—”
“You don’t have to protect him, Yilan.”
“Gall, please. I don’t want to be the thing that comes between you.”
“You aren’t. He is.”
I slumped. I wanted to weep. I knew it was all new, and all scary for him. I knew the emotions were very raw and probably compounded by the strange situation he found himself in. But I wanted to cling to him and beg him to come with me. I recognized the urge as selfish.
I didn’t want Melek to blamemefor his son’s anger. And that wasn’t fair on either of them.
They would work this out. With time. At least, I prayed they would.
