Page 31 of Under the Mistletoe
He glanced to Luke for support, but his brother only knew part of the story, and after laying it all out there with his dad a few days ago, Logan wasn’t ready to be that raw again anytime soon.
“Trust me.” Luke spoke up once more. “If Hannah and I had been more honest with each other to begin with, it wouldn’t have taken us so long to get to the altar.”
Hannah patted his arm. “And just be glad confessing your love to Devin doesn’t jeopardize a kingdom’s alliances.”
“I’m not in love with Devin.” He might lose his mind. “The story. Isn’t. About. Us. And volunteering to help doesn’t have to mean anything. I’m done with the conversation. I’ll wait in the car.”
Logan turned away, but Luke’s voice carried. “Was I that clueless?”
He could just make out Hannah’s laugh and the words “Much more, my love” before he was absorbed into the Christmas crowd.
He wasn’t mad, but he didn’t like being the center of everyone’s attention. Not to mention they had gotten it all wrong. The story wasn’t about him. Sure, he’d tapped into his personal experience, but it was still only a story. Wasn’t it?
He found an out-of-the-way bench and pulled up the chapter Luke and Austin had just read and skimmed it over. His reading slowed as he neared the end.
Stone of Anwar: Chapter 4
The wedding had been set for three weeks from tomorrow, and it took all of Rand’s strength not to slam his fist into the wall. He’d avoided Orin as much as he could the past week. After all, the last thing he wanted to do was run into Astryn. Not that it had stopped him from seeing her. Everywhere he turned, she seemed to be there.
He’d gone riding only to see her in a distant field in a full gallop with her golden hair waving behind her. Or when she watched them train from the shadows of the window where she assumed she’d been hidden. This princess was not one who enjoyed her days at tea or needlepoint. He had no doubt that had she been born a man she would have made a great warrior and king.
But it didn’t matter, she had been born to her position, and so had he. Which was why he had stayed away. But even a prince couldn’t ignore the direct summons of the king. Rand pushed his way through the thick oak door and made his way to the chambers that had been assigned to Orin. At least they weren’t in Anathia where Orin could call him to the throne room.
He stepped into the sitting room and knelt before Orin. “Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty? What? Did you offend someone important? Never mind, I’d rather remain blissfully ignorant of whatever mischief you’ve been up to.” Orin motioned to the chairs next to the stone fireplace. “I know you enjoy the freedom of being second, but you still have duties.”
Rand shrugged and walked over and settled into the chair next to his brother. “I’m at your command.”
Rand sent up a silent prayer to Origin that the command would have nothing to do with Astryn. He’d hoped that space would lessen this unwanted attraction. It hadn’t.
“I’m serious, Rand.” Orin spun on him. “The lords and council want me to name another second. They don’t think you have what it takes to rule a kingdom, and your absence at the negotiations with Cambria this week hasn’t helped.”
Negotiations. The word landed like a rock in his gut. They’d been haggling over how much Astryn was worth, and Rand couldn’t stomach it.
If he couldn’t handle that, then how was he going to stand there and watch his brother marry her when he knew it was only for political gain? His brother was kind and would be good to her, but she deserved more than that. And shewantedmore than that. He’d bet all he had on that fact.
Rand turned toward the window, but the landscape blurred before him. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m not fit for this position.”
If he wasn’t second, then he could leave. He still might not forget her, but at least it would keep him from doing something stupid like telling her how he felt.
Orin landed a hand on his shoulder. “There is no one I trust more with my life than you.”
And there it was. The reason he’d never leave. As much as he longed for Astryn, he loved his brother and would never leave him unprotected.
Orin squeezed his shoulder, holding his gaze. “There is no one I would trust more with this kingdom than you. A good part of me believes you would make a better king than I do.”
“I don’t want to be king.” His voice came out rough, and he tried to clear his throat.
“Which is exactly why you make a good second. A man who wants the throne is a dangerous man, indeed. But a man who understands the weight it carries and takes it out of responsibility—that is the making of a good king. That is why I insist you are my second now and as long as we both breathe.” He stood and tugged on a cord to ring for a servant. “That, and I know you won’t try to kill me in my sleep to take my place.”
“You can count on that.” Rand locked eyes with his brother. “I will do better by you, brother, I promise you that.”
Orin pulled the lid off a dark wooden box and set it aside.Anwar.The clear, two-inch, teardrop-shaped stone was so much like a diamond but yet not. Orin held it by the silver chain up to the sunlight, causing the colors to dance and swirl within the prisms, as if the stone itself lived and breathed. Rand hadn’t seen it since his mother’s passing. “Are you okay with me giving this to Astryn?”
Orin wasn’t actually asking permission. As king, it was his to give or to keep. Rather, he was asking out of kindness and respect for a brother who still grieved his mother.
Rand gave a stiff nod. “It will fit her well.”
