Chapter 14
THANE
T hane anxiously curled and uncurled his fingers.
She was correct about the gossip. Maybe he could sneak her inside…
No, why did this even bother him? There was no reason to sneak about with her.
He was High King and committed to no one.
Gods, she looked good. Her round perky ass was even noticeable in his oversized shirt.
It has been even longer since I have been properly bedded…
She was either sweetly naive or knew exactly what she was doing, and she was too old to be naive.
Now all he could think about was what bedding her might be like.
But it was wrong. He shouldn’t be thinking about her this way.
They would only ever be friends. He wouldn’t let what was left of his heart get tangled up into another mess.
Slamming his eyes shut, he rubbed his forehead as if it could scrub away the thoughts. “We can go in and change first, then dinner.”
She playfully patted his arm. “I did not plan to go like this, Thane. Remember when I said I have an affinity for fashion? I like to attend dinner parties properly dressed.” They started walking side by side.
“How will the seating arrangements be?” she tsked.
“I do not think Valeen should be seated anywhere near your mother.”
Dread slowly worked its way through him. A dinner party with Valeen, Hel, his mother, and Katana sounded like a nightmare. It was sure to be an interesting evening. “Definitely not. Although I don’t think any amount of distance will keep them from arguing.”
Katana let out a ha . “Oh, so it will be a fun night then. Entertaining at least.” She gestured ahead. “There is Valeen and Hel now.” She practically bounced on her toes as she waved at them.
Thane groaned. Valeen’s face was difficult to read as her bright blue eyes flicked back and forth between them. Hel on the other hand looked like he was about to have the best time of his life.
“Hello, Katana,” Hel said with a mischievous smirk. His eyes dragged over her and then he glanced at Thane. “What have we been up to? Something where clothes were optional, I see.”
She grinned at him. “We—well, I took a dip in the hot springs. It felt so nice. And I did not want to ruin my dress, so Thane lent me his shirt. We are heading inside for dinner if you would join us. Oh, um, did you do what you needed to in Calladira?” she grimaced at even asking the question.
Valeen stared at Thane, scrutinizing his face. Whether she wanted to smile or tear his head off, he couldn’t decide. “Aldrich is dead.”
A strange sense of relief washed through him.
Aldrich had been on the back of his mind since the battle with his father.
Now he didn’t have to worry he’d show up to try to kill him and take the throne for his.
Or even gather supporters to campaign against him for the rightful heir.
“How did they react to another Lord of theirs dying?” He tapped his boot.
They were never going to have peace with the woodland elves.
“No one had anything to say about it, if that’s what you’re asking.” Hel rubbed his chin. “I have that effect on people. Didn’t someone say something about dinner? I’m famished.”
Thane paced outside the dining hall. Piper, Fennan, Leif, Orlandia, Talon, and Katana were already inside. He peeked through the crack in the door and spotted Hel casually drop into the chair on the opposite end of the High King’s seat.
“What are you doing with Katana? I know about the whole flirting and teasing thing between you but what was that outside?” Valeen’s voice sent a shiver down his spine.
He had to take a deep breath before he turned around and faced her.
The dying light from sunset peeked through the nearby window and bathed her in amber.
“You’re going to have to clarify.”
“Don’t play dumb.” Her face hardened, and shadows flickered around her from the torch on the wall nearby. “Are you doing this to get back at me?”
He ground his teeth together. “I’m not doing anything . The only thing I’ve done is be a good host.”
“I find that difficult to believe based on what I saw earlier. She’s not someone to use against me, Thane. I thought you were fine with… us.”
“I am,” he snapped and tore his gaze away.
“She was wearing your clothes, and you didn’t have a shirt on.”
“Why don’t you ask her?”
“I will.”
“Why do you care anyway? You got what you wanted. You sound jealous.” With everything in him, he wanted her to be. Gods, he didn’t think it would be this hard. She left with Hel and he was the one who told her to go.
Part of him was just jealous that they had a soulmate and he was left with nothing.
Even if they’d been as close as anyone could be all those years before in their past life, he was still the third wheel.
Even when he had Varlett as his fiancée, she wasn’t what Valeen was to Hel.
It had been an arrangement for political power, and sex. That was all it was.
Hel and Valeen had a special bond that even time and war and heartache couldn’t break. They had a love that he desperately craved.
A love that he thought he had with her…
Now he wasn’t even sure he knew what love was if it could be taken away, if love could slip right through his fingertips and into the hands of someone else.
She glared at him, and he swore soft shadows began to flutter around her. “You’ve never seen me jealous, Thane. If I was, believe me, you’d know. But she is my sister.”
“And Hel is my cousin.”
Her crushing blue eyes bore into him, straight to his soul. It made him a little uneasy. It had been a long time since he’d been on the wrong side of her wrath. “And I was with him before I was ever with you. This is different and you know it.”
“Are you saying she’s off-limits then?”
“I thought nothing was going on,” she retorted and folded her arms, lifting a brow.
“Katana understands what I’m going through, with people gossiping behind my back about my ex-fiancée sleeping with my cousin.
She knows what it’s like to watch the person you were in love with be with someone else.
Compared to how Hel acted, I think I’m doing a remarkably good job.
I could be a territorial asshole, couldn’t I? ”
He realized he talked about their love in the past tense, and that it was true.
He’d been drawn to her and loved her here and in his life as War, but those chains were…
broken somehow. It was as if he was seeing her for who she truly was, not the love of his life for the first time. He wasn’t even sure when it happened.
With a sigh she dropped her arms to her sides. “Look, I’m not saying she’s off-limits?—”
“Well good because it isn’t your place anymore.”
Valeen’s eyes flashed then she cracked a smile. “No, it’s not. Katana is a beautiful person, and I wouldn’t blame you if you did develop feelings?—”
“There is nothing going on, as I said. I barely know her.” She was gorgeous and he did find himself very attracted to her but there wasn’t anything beyond that.
“Alright, but you will know her. I’ve never met anyone else like Katana.
She used to be the brightest person in any room, and one could argue she still is, but I can see in her eyes she’s traumatized.
She needs safety.” They both glanced through the crack in the door.
He found her sitting at the table, smiling.
The sunlight shined on the back of her head making her hair even brighter, illuminating her golden skin.
“And I should have anticipated the gossip of the servants. I am sorry.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I really don’t care all that much about the gossip of servants.”
“Just be careful with Katana. I don’t know what is going to happen with her and Atlanta. She told me she doesn’t want to see him and that she doesn’t consider him her husband anymore, but I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
The last thing he needed was to fall for another goddess and have her go back to her former lover. The main difference between them was that Katana remembered her last life. “You don’t need to worry. Shall we?” Thane pulled the door all the way open and gestured for her to go in first.
Wearing her gold crown tonight, Orlandia stared Hel down while he smoked a civar and picked at something beneath his nails.
Katana beamed at them both, waved at Valeen and patted the seat between her and Hel.
Fennan picked at the food on his plate while Piper and Leif sipped their wine looking anywhere but at the others at the table.
“Well, well, the High King and my wife are late.” Hel blew out a cloud of smoke and narrowed his eyes at him. “Busy?”
Thane quickly took his seat. The chair legs scraped loudly on the stone floor as he scooted up to the table.
It was set with a mouth-watering spread.
Meats and steamed vegetables and colorful fruit with a silver candelabra centered and a royal-blue tablecloth beneath it all.
“Nope, just preparing myself for what is sure to be a lovely dinner.”
Valeen passed behind Hel, ran her hand along his shoulders, then bent down and kissed his cheek.
He thought she whispered “play nice” into his ear but he wasn’t sure.
Once she sat beside him, Hel looked at her, and if Thane had to guess they were having one of their silent conversations.
It always bothered him when they did that. Even before .
Hel took another inhale from his civar. The smoke cloud hung above the dinner table and Thane’s mother looked absolutely unhinged about it. She swatted at the smoke with her napkin and mumbled something under her breath.
“The conversation has been riveting in your absence,” Hel drawled. “Orlandia and friends were just saying what a joy I am to have as a guest.”
Orlandia raised her chin in defiance and scoffed. “It’s incredibly rude to smoke while dining with royalty.”