Page 78 of The King is Dead
“Yilan, I could have smelled the alpha male bullshit from the other side of the Palace. That wasintense.”She turned her head looking up and down the hallway, but we were alone. When she was sure, she smiled and leaned in. “But you’re right… Turo was crossing swords with a shadowman. Melek knows he’s already won.” She blew out a breath. “God, I hope I’m there when Turo knows.”
“I take no pleasure in Turo’s pain,” I said miserably. “I hope you won’t either.”
She gave me a look. “You can’t tell me the caging on your verandah didn’t make you want to throttle him.”
I wanted to snap my teeth. “Turo overstepped. But he was afraid. I know he was—”
“Yilan, I love you. But you need to stop making excuses for him. He’s not going to be your husband, or your King. He still half-thinks of you as the child-princess. Stop excusing that in your mind. You’re a grown woman, and he is a grown man. He needs to shift his perspective.”
She was right, and I knew it, even nodded as we started to walk together. But I was deep in thought, and thankfully Diadre had never been one who needed to fill a silence.
Because my thoughts quickly turned inward, and my senses towards the bond. I gripped that cord between me and Melek like a lifeline. Reading even the smallest hint of his feelings that pulsed through it.
The temptation was there to follow him at a distance, to see if I could use the bond to find him. But I shook it off.
I had to let him show himself without me. And we might not get our week before events overcame us. He’d started as soon as he stepped out of that stairwell, and I wouldn’t interfere.
But as often as I dared, I stroked the bond and reminded him that I walked with him in heart.
And I prayed that he and Turo wouldn’t kill each other before we could make this whole situation clear.
28. Unwavering
~ MELEK ~
As we stepped into the adjoining corridor and Yilan passed from sight, my body tensed.
God, it was so hard to walk away from her.
But it was time… time to begin addressing the clusterfuck of tragedy and danger we were faced with. And she led the way. From the moment she stepped into that hallway at the bottom of the stairs she’d faced masculine disbelief and challenge.
She had not wavered.
I had swelled with pride watching her stare down Turo. I wanted to applaud when she refused to rise to the bait, and was equally gratified when she trusted me enough to allow me to walk away and fight my own battles.
That medallion bounced at my chest with each step, and even though I knew she’d given it to me as a shield, it felt more like a talisman. Her goodwill and trust going with me.
It was clear I would need it. At least for these first couple of days.
As I walked and Turo prowled the Palace next to me, I prayed God would bring me situations quickly and continually to allow me to show care, wisdom, and restraint. Particularly with servants and those of lower birth. Because I knew, there was no faster way to gain the loyalty of any person, than to treat with respect those whoshared their life. Any servant receiving grace and patience, any low-born citizen seeing one of their peers valued by someone in power… the impact was immediate, and word spread quickly.
Of course, I also prayed that my frazzled nerves and overwhelmed mind would allow me to make the most of those opportunities when they arose. And that fucking Turo wouldsoonsee that I was not the enemy he imagined. Then we could… well, if not become allies, at least form some kind of effective treaty. The man’s bristling attendance made my asshole clench in commiseration for his bowels and the size of the stick that invaded them.
The way he’d utterly refused to see Yilan’s conviction and spoken down to her...
I clenched my teeth harder and reminded myself I’d just been praying for patience and restraint. It wouldn’t help her if I were to give in to the impulse to smack her General.
Twenty minutes later I was convinced it would take an act of God to keep my hands off him. As we walked the halls, Turo and his Sargeant leading me to Gall, who was apparently housed outside the palace grounds proper, every pair of eyes we passed landed on me and widened. Every head turned to whisper to their neighbor. Despite my armedescorts,some even fled.
But for each with the courage to meet my gaze and stand and watch, I offered a polite nod and an air of quiet assurance.
Turo did not assist me in maintaining my peace. The fucker growled and muttered every step, until the skin on the back of my neck was crawling, and I wanted to snap my teeth at him.
Yet, I knew, the way to true leadership was to evoke security for others. And the quickest path to the security of the people was to possess confidence, the kind of presence that offered an unwavering sense that no matter what was to come, I could deal with it and keep them safe. To silently but consistently assure them,I am here with a purpose. I will achieve that purpose. And that purpose will benefit you.
As we exited the Palace and started across the grounds, Turo hissed orders to a couple young runners who’d been called in to carry messages for him. Both boys were tall and lanky and hadn’t yet grown their first facial hair.
They watched me warily and cowered when I moved.
