Chapter Thirty-Five
A thick silence fills the infirmary.
“This conversation doesn’t leave this room,” says Callum. “Blake?”
Blake nods. Lochlan’s eyes widen, and he starts to rise, hand on the hilt of his weapon. Callum curls his arm around Lochlan’s neck and pulls him back. I breathe in sharply as Blake grabs something from the workbench and plunges it into Kai’s neck. Lochlan roars, face red, as he thrashes against Callum.
“Relax,” says Blake. Kai’s eyes shut, and his body softens. Blake pulls out the needle. “It’s a sedative. I’ll need to interrogate him later.”
Callum releases Lochlan, then walks past Fiona and me as if he doesn’t see the wolf that blazes in Lochlan’s eyes. “A word, please, Princess?”
I exchange a worried smile with Fiona, then head after him, my heart beating fast. Callum’s pace is brisk as he strides through the castle. I half run to keep up with him. We pass armed soldiers wearing Lochlan’s colors stationed in the corridors. Raised voices come from the Great Hall. Tension crackles between us.
I presume Callum is leading us to his old bedchambers so we can talk in private, but he turns in the opposite direction. I walk with him down a long corridor with narrow windows that let in the morning light. He opens a door at the end, and we enter a vast room.
A bed with ornate carved posts, red velvet curtains, and a pile of furs on the quilt dominates the space. There are paintings and weapons mounted all over the walls, and the red tartan banner of Highfell hangs above the bed. It’s cold because there’s no fire in the hearth, and the scent of bracken and steel hangs in the air.
“James’s bedchambers,” I say softly.
Callum swallows. “Aye.”
He scans the room, then strides toward the desk by one of three narrow windows, and swipes something off the surface. His back muscles clench beneath the fabric of his shirt, then he exhales.
“It’s not the Heart of the Moon.” He turns. There’s a round, white stone in his fist—the stone Sebastian gave James in exchange for me. “I was sure it wouldn’t be—he would have used it against me, if it was. Yet I held a small shred of hope.”
“You’re sure?”
“The Heart of the Moon is an ancient relic, torn from the chest of our sacred goddess. I’d feel something if I encountered it, if I touched it. It would awaken my wolf. I’d feel it press against my skin.” He tosses it onto the bed. “I feel nothing from this.”
I offer him a sad smile. “I told you he would not trade it for me.”
“Aye. You did. Foolish man.”
The silence stretches between us. Even across the room, I can smell him—blood and sweat mingles with his mountain scent. He straightens and clenches his jaw, and my mouth dries. The way he’s looking at me...
I had almost forgotten how formidable this man, this alpha—no, this king— could look. Even my father would cower before him. He’s obviously angry, upset by what happened with Blake, even though he was the one who let it happen. I’m angry, too. Yet I want his comfort, and I want to comfort him.
He just killed his brother, who—up until recently—he served as second in command. He must have complicated feelings about it.
I take a tentative step forward. “Callum?”
I’m not sure if it’s the uncertainty in my tone, the weakness, but his darkness shatters.
He crosses the space between us, and falls to his knees before me with a heavy thud. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his forehead against my stomach, and relief bursts through me. He’s still my Callum. His grip is almost too tight, and I want him to hold me tighter. I curl my hands around the back of his head while he mumbles something against my dress in a language I don’t know.
“ Ghealach , Princess.” There’s a watery film over his eyes. The blood from his nose adds to Blake’s blood already staining my dress. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I should have been there. I should have gotten to you sooner.”
Do as he says.
I blink. “I thought you were angry with me.”
He drags his teeth over his swollen bottom lip. “I am angry. I’m furious. I’m jealous. I want to rip Blake’s fucking throat out and if you were not... connected to him, as you are, I’d have done it already. And I’m relieved. I’m so relieved that I feel like I’m floating out of my body. I’m so fucking happy to see you, to touch you, to know you’re alright.”
Something hardens inside me, and I force myself to look past the unfairness of his wrath. I brush my fingertips along the back of his neck, and he trembles. “How are you feeling about James?” I think about my own brother. I despise him, yet I can’t imagine how it must feel to take his life. “I know that your relationship with him was difficult, but you’re allowed to grieve—”
“He’s not dead.”
I still. “What? I thought you won the challenge?”
His shoulders harden, as if I’ve hit a nerve. “He forfeited. I knocked him out, then took over the fight against the southerners. I planned to deal with him later. He must have gained consciousness and escaped.”
My blood cools. The vision of James’s teeth when he sank them into me flashes behind my eyelids. The roar when I dragged my wolfsbane-dowsed fingers down his cheeks echoes in my ears. “He will come back to challenge you, Callum.”
He squeezes my hip, then pushes himself to his feet. “And I will beat him again. I sent Ryan after him.”
“Ryan?” My tone is incredulous, and a muscle twitches in Callum’s temple.
“Aye. Ryan. He’s like a wee brother to James. I don’t think James will harm him. When I know where he is, I’ll end this for good.” He shakes his head. “It seems like we have bigger problems to deal with right now.”
“Alexander.”
“Aye.”
Another thick silence stretches between us. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Usually, his emotions are easy to read, but his face is blank. Unspoken words hang between us, and I know we need to voice them. Something I’m not used to doing. I clasp my hands together. “Callum—”
“There’s much I need to deal with before the day is through.” He clears his throat. “I’ve had someone prepare your old room. The one in the tower that you stayed in when you first came here.” My eyebrows lift, because I’d presumed we would share bedchambers, like we did at Lowfell. “I won’t be in my chambers at all today. I need to find space for Lochlan’s men. Rob is already trying to undermine me, and I need to get him under control if Alexander plans to attack. I thought you’d be more comfortable in your own space.”
Hurt ripples through me. “The thing that happened with Blake—”
He closes his eyes. “Please, don’t. Not now.”
“Callum, I know you’re upset—”
He opens his eyes. “I’m not angry with you, Rory, if that’s what you’re thinking. My wolf... I’m not in control right now. I need a bit of time to get my head around something, that is all.”
“Get your head around what?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. All of it. Things you don’t understand.”
“What things?”
“Not now. Get some rest. You’ve had a rough night. We’ll talk about it later. I promise.”
His lips are hard when he brushes them against my forehead. He strides to the door, heads out of the room, and leaves me alone.
The backs of my eyes burn. I want to scream. I sink my teeth into my finger, and revel in the blood that spills into my mouth.
I knew Callum would be upset, but I’m upset too. I was kidnapped, and held against my will. I was made a fool of in front of a room full of men. I was helpless, and not only was he witness to it, he encouraged it. I was almost shot, and Alexander tried to take me away. None of it was my fault.
I understand that he’s under a lot of stress right now, but I thought I mattered enough for a conversation.
My mind whirls over everything that happened tonight.
I breathe in sharply as something comes back to me. James said he read something interesting in a book he found in Blake’s chambers. Was he talking about the book that has information about the bond in it?
The bond complicates everything. Now Callum has taken the throne, it won’t be long before he uses it against us.
Everyone is distracted. Blake is in the infirmary. Even though I’m exhausted, I don’t think I’ll find a better time to take the book.
I want to find out exactly what this connection is between us, so I can break it.