Page 133 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Kallie rolledover onto her side. On the bed across from her, Ellie lay fast asleep, snoring softly.
The pads of her bare feet touched the ground. Pushing off the bed, she tiptoed toward the door. As her hand gripped the doorknob, she recalled the last time she had been in this very room with Dani knocked out and a letter opener the only thing to defend herself. This time, she wasn’t planning on escaping anything but her own nightmares.
She cracked open the door and peered into the hallway. No candlelight flickered beneath the door across the hall where Graeson and Moris slept.
Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the stairs and descended them on light feet, her palm sliding against the wall.
Once she was outside, she let the cool air filter into her lungs. Head down, she headed over to the stable. One stall was open, and a large black snout peeked past it. At the sound of Kallie’s footsteps, Nyrri blinked an eye open and huffed.
"Are you really that predictable?"
Kallie halted, her gaze sweeping across the stable, searching for him. Movement atop a tall pile of hay caught her attention, and she looked up.
Graeson sat on the hay, one leg swinging in the air while the other was bent, his arm draped across it as he peered down at her with a curious brow.
"I—" She struggled for a response.
Graeson chuckled. "I’m only kidding, Kal." He cocked his head to the side, his gaze dipping down her frame and sending a flush of heat coursing through her. "Unless you really are escaping, then…"
Kallie smirked. "Not this time."
"Good. We both know how that ended last time."
Flashes of him atop her, his hands pinning hers to the ground, came to mind. Her gaze raked over him.
Not the time.
She cleared her throat and held up her hands. "Only wanting some fresh air."
"Can’t sleep?"
Kallie shook her head.
"Come on up." He patted the spot beside him on the hay bale.
Shrugging, she reached up and dug her hands into the hay, trying to gain purchase. As she went to step up, she felt something pushing up her injured leg. When she looked down, she saw Nyrri lifting her foot with her nose.
"Thanks, girl," Kallie said. Using her good arm, she reached for the ledge as Graeson grabbed her forearm and hoisted her up. Once safely atop the hay, she offered him a small smile in gratitude and then adjusted her cloak before sitting down.
"Does it still hurt?" Graeson asked, glancing at her injured arm.
"Not as much," she admitted. Over the past few days, the pain had lessened to a dull ache. She still needed to rest itmore before she could fully use it again without grimacing. But progress was progress. "The arrow didn’t go deep enough to cause any serious harm."
He brushed his knuckles on the side of her arm, and the touch was warm and soothing. "I’m…I’m sorry. I should have been more careful. I shouldn’t have?—"
"Hey," she said, cutting him off. "We’re alive, right?"
Graeson nodded, but she could still see the guilt in his gray eyes.
She turned toward him, her knee bumping into his thigh. She laid a hand on his cheek, the stubble beneath it scratching against her palm. "I’m okay. It’s not your fault."
"Says the woman who is known for taking the blame for things," Graeson retorted with a small smile.
Kallie playfully shoved him in the shoulder, and he laughed, the previous tension and concern fading.
Kallie rubbed the hay from her trousers as she scanned the stable. Most of the horses were sleeping, and Nyrri had plopped beside the hay bale as if not wanting to be too far from them.
"Why are you hanging out up here, anyway?" Kallie asked, curious.
