Page 105 of Season Warriors & Wolves

Then Thora did the same. Trying her best at doing Kilian’s impersonation.

I grabbed a pillow and struck them both. “So. Not. Funny.”

Mal groaned, shifting to his side and Thora sneered, glaring death at him and hitting him with dried grapes. “I want to choke the hells out of him.”

“What did you say to him in the library that day?”

She swallowed, looking down at her hands. “Things. Silly things. He likes hearing silly things. The sillier they are, the more he likes them, the more he will listen to me. Apparently, many of the things I say are silly, because he likes most of the things I say.”

“Just…that?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Cai tells you to breathe, I tell him silly things.”

Nia looked at me before asking her, “Why does he sleep here?”

“I asked him when I came to stay over here in Adriata. He just never stopped.” My sister chewed on her bottom lip and then whispered to us, “Mal is sort of…good at these war things. Are we telling him?”

“A little too fucking late,” he said, startling all of us out of our skin. He rolled on his back again and sighed. “Crescent heavens, why are you all screaming?”

I put a hand to my chest, shaking from laughter and soon, Nia and Thora were laughing as well. Till tears were streaming down our cheeks and our bellies hurt. It felt like the whole dim room had sprung to life.

When Mal laughed with us, I realised then that the room had really taken life, the shadows had loured, and the candles were glowing brighter. Even the colour on the wall appeared vivid somehow.

“Want to gossip with us?” Thora asked, patting the spot next to her. “We have snacks.”

Mal got up and stretched, taking a set next to her and raising a brow at the dried grapes. “I was scammed.”

“What do you think?” Nia asked, offering him some carrot slices.

His mouth curled a bit at the vegetable, but he took one. “It is good thinking. There are some things we need to consider. How will Silas react to it. Do we want him to kill these people? I can’t think of another way for him to be able to stop the rioting. Isjord takes no useless prisoners, remember?”

“You’re right,” I said, sighing, and all of them looked surprised at my answer. “What, I don’t want innocents dead?”

They all stuffed their mouths with the dried fruit, looking at one another.

Mal was the one to ask since the other two didn’t, “Since when?”

“Since the fact that Isjordians love to be oppressed. They will sing to my father’s brutality. I’ve seen it before. This might win completely against us.”

“Ah,” Nia said.

“Ah,” Thora followed, nodding.

Mal nudged my shoulder. “Why are we not telling Kil?”

“I’m scared for his health. He keeps saying blood pressure this, blood pressure that. Starting to think he is not joking.”

Brother-in-law found it funny, extremely funny. Hilarious even. He howled. To the point wolves in the distance howled back. “The bastard will live. Just tell him.”

“When my plan is perfect and I’m sure he won’t find an argument that will make me doubt all of it.” I dusted my hands and stood. “I’ll leave you to it. Let me know tomorrow if you think of anything else.”

“Mhm,” Nia chuckled, and Thora followed.

Just before I took off, I spun and threw my arms around Mal, clinging to his neck so I could whisper, “Don’t hate me.”

After a moment, he put his hands around me. “I don’t hate you,” he whispered back. “Never have. You can go to him now or he will avenge his stolen time.”

Damn it. “You heard?”