Page 34 of The King is Dead
The bond thrummed in my chest, and I had to swallow back an intense ache for my mate.
But Istral caught sight of me then and squealed, letting go of Gall’s arm and running towards me for an exuberant hug.
Gall followed more slowly because he was holding the basket and was obviously worried he might spill the contents. But he was smiling as he strode up behind her to greet me.
And even though there was a twist of unease in my chest about where the future might go for these two, like Harris, I was overjoyed to see them both so happy and relaxed.
After Istral had told me about each of the herbs and plants they’d found, and what she wanted to do with them, I asked Gall how he was feeling.
“I’m good,” he said with a small smile, but I saw the uncertainty flicker in his eyes.
Of course, he was in an entirely new world, one he hadn’t anticipated or even been introduced to.
“Istral, I wonder if you could stay here with Harris. I need to speak with Gall alone for a few minutes.”
Istral looked disappointed but nodded. “Of course,” she replied, because she had manners.
Gall’s brows pinched, and he was reluctant to give the basket back, but he followed me obediently when I turned to walk back to the cottage.
Inside, I was reminded just how big he was, this wasn’t the Palace with vaulted ceilings and high, arched doors. The cottagewas a Shadekin home. Gall had to duck to get through the doorway, and even inside where the ceiling was above his head, he was close enough to be aware of it, so he hunched slightly.
I took a deep breath and put a hand on his arm. “I’m glad that you’ve been comfortable here. How are you feeling?”
He scratched the back of his neck. “It's been nice,” he said carefully.
“Is your head clear? Do you feel like you can think clearly? Is anything hurting?”
“I’m fine,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just a little bit strange.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said with a sigh. “Well, I want you to know that I’m glad you’re here and you can stay as long as you want to. Forever, if you want to. This can be your home if you want it, Gall. It’s why I brought you here. You’ll be much safer here than… back home.”
His eyes widened. “Truly?” he breathed.
I nodded and smiled. “As soon as I met you and saw what they were putting you through… well, I just want you to feel comfortable and to know that you’re welcome here. I’m sure there will be challenges, but we’ll face them as we have to. Anytime there’s a problem, you just come find me.”
“I will,” he said, a little breathless. He looked over his shoulder towards the door, and Iknewhe was thinking of his conversation with Istral.
Nerves and joy clanged together in my chest. This would be… interesting. I cleared my throat.
“There is one other reason I came this afternoon, Gall,” I said, touching his arm so he’d give me his attention again. “I came to see if you wanted to come with me… to see Melek? He’s eager to see how you’re—”
“No,” Gall said, his voice short and dark. His entire face clouded, and he even took a step back from me.
Oh dear.“Gall… Your father… he’s alone. I know he’d be very relieved to see you and know that you’re safe.”
But Gall was shaking his head like a resistant horse. “No. No. I remember… I don’t want to see him.”
I swallowed hard. “I know there was some confusion before we left the camp—but we talked to you, Melek and me. About… about what had happened. Do you remember?” I was whispering now, leaning into him, praying he’d keep his voice down if he did start talking about it. “It wasn’t all bad. Not bad the way it looked, do you remember?”
Gall nodded, but his lips were tight. “I remember everything,” he said.
“In that case, I need to ask you to be a friend and keep those details to yourself. Melek is… struggling with all the change, and I want to give him time to feel better before we tell everyone else. So, this is a secret right now, but it won’t stay that way, I hope. I just—”
“You were lying to protect him,” Gall said darkly, his chin jutting forward. “Melek told me that spies have to do that sometimes—”
“No!” I breathed. “At least… not in that way. I told you the truth in the end, Gall. He told you that we’re mates… remember?”
He nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it. “But I don’t think it’s true, because if it was, he would have told me at the beginning. I think he just used that to make it good in his mind.”
