Page 82 of Season Warriors & Wolves

I took a moment to process what he was trying to say. “By beating her up?”

He shrugged. “If I went gently on her, it would never work. She wouldn’t have bought it.” His eyes rolled up to me. “You don’t know her how I do. You haven’t seen her like I have, Your Majesty. She needs this.”

I leaned forward and stole one of his bread sticks. “I’m still going to break those arms one day for what you did today.”

He glanced between me and the breadstick I stole. “You’ll help her?”

“Without touching a single hair on her pretty head. You said she wants to feel normal. Pain was her normal. I don’t want her to think that is all that will be normal to her. That pain is the only constant thing in her life. She’s stopped hurting in one way and trying to still compensate by hurting in another way. Both ain’t the solution, Caiden. You want her to feel normal? Start creating another normal. From the beginning. Without pain being the foundation holding it up. I know you two share difficult history and it might be hard for you to move past it, but I ask, if not for the sake of you, do it for the sake of her.”

He leaned back on his seat and sighed. “You’re unbearable.”

I took a bite from the breadstick. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever told me.”

“I really don’t wish to see you right now.”

“Not really a choice,” I said, taking another breadstick and dipping it in his stew. “I’m your king. Touch my woman like you did today and I’ll introduce the concept of ‘death by ripping your soul out’ to this kingdom.”

I watched her from afar as she made her way through Taren. Following her every step around her kingdom through shadows. I know she felt me because from time to time, she smiled to herself and glanced at her own shadows.

Her presence was soft around her people. Quieter this time round. Even they noticed.

Olympians knew how to feed her strength though. One house she went by fed her butter scones, there was a navy scarf wrapped around her when she came out of another with two elderly women, another family gave her a brand new string of marble beads which she counted all the way through to where Nia and Thora were waiting for her. The three went by so many shops that I had to shake myself awake at times. When they settled by a small bakery to have some assortments of biscuits and tea, my love glanced at the setting orange sunset in the distance and waved.

I faded behind her and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “The other way round.”

“Stalker.”

“You loved it,” I said, taking a bite from the biscuit she had in her hand and settling in a chair between them. “How was your day, ladies?”

Nia rolled her eyes up at me. “Bet you can give us better details about it.”

Thora gaped between us three. “You were following us? Why did no one tell me?”

“I was hoping he’d grow tired from the shopping and eventually leave,” Nia added.

“A good attempt,” I said, leaning back on my chair and throwing an arm around my quiet wife’s shoulders.

She turned to me and put a biscuit in my mouth. “Is Cai alive? A few had seen you dine together.”

“Still deciding.” I took a sip from her tea. “What did Visha want earlier on?”

“The full moon fog is starting to clear from the Deadlands and I can soon go and hunt some very naughty witches.” She blinked innocently. “Why? You want another moment to escape and go after Vas?”

“It was your idea,” Nia said, shrugging.

Snow shot her a look. “Let me remind you that your lover helped in this.”

Nia’s eyes jumped between us. “Mor listens to him. That is not my fault.”

Another body dropped to the chair next to Thora. My brother groaned from a headache it seemed and squinted at all of us. “What are we eating?”

Thora got up. “I’ll get you something savoury, these are all sweet.”

“Where were you?” I asked.

“Highwall. We checked for that blind spot Moregan said spies were exchanging information with Silas.” he stretched in his seat, sprawling wide. “Never realised how big that stupid wall is.”

Nia raised a brow at him. “There is a tavern at Highwall?”