Page 125 of Shadow Queen
Heavy footfalls came behind her, and she turned to see Soren approaching. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Your maid told me you were here,” he said when he reached her. “That you wanted to be alone.”
“Which apparently means nothing to you,” she said shortly.
He snorted in amusement and took his post by the bench, standing with his axe between his feet and his hands resting on the wood of the handle.
“And where have you been?” she snapped angrily. She needed to be angry, to hold her other emotions at bay. “I looked everywhere for you yesterday.”
He stiffened and dropped a shoulder as he leaned back on his heel. “I took the boy hunting,” he said. Adrian, he meant. “Why? Did something happen? Did you need me?”
She folded her arms and rocked gently as she stifled a sob, but there was no holding back the emotion now. “I’m messing everything up. I shouldn’t have come back.” She buried her face in her hands.
Soren shifted again. “What happened?”
She drew in an uneven breath. “I ruined his marriage.”
He stepped around closer to her. “Whose?”
“Alexander’s!”
His brows drew together. “The Bear would never wed.”
“It was arranged by my grandmother. He’d agreed.” Her voice shook. “But I ruined it.”
The bench shifted as he sat down beside her.
“You’re the Destroyer,” she cried. “You’re supposed to be the corruption, the darkness. But it isn’t you, is it? It’s me.” She sucked in another sob. “What have I done?”
Soren turned and grasped her arm. “Salara,” he said in a low voice—a steely voice rich with warning. His eyes were dark and intense. “Did you lay with him?”
She paused through her tears, but then shook her head.
He dropped his head as a small breath escaped him.
“But I kissed him,” she said. “I swam naked in a pool with him. Is that not practically the same thing?”
“No, it’s not.” But a deep, angry line folded between his brows. “Not exactly.”
“What will I tell Mikael?” she breathed.
The shadow under his brow darkened, and he tightened his hold. “You’ll consider this your confession, and never speak of it again. Ever.”
His eyes demanded an answer, and shakily, she nodded. He let go of her arm, and they sat on the bench until the sun rose enough for its rays to reach them.
“I want to go back,” she whispered.
“Then we’ll go.”
“To Kharav.”
“I knew what you meant,” he said.
Chapter thirty-six
Norahchewedherdinnerslowly as she watched her grandmother stir her tea. Her eyes wandered to Alexander, only to find him looking back at her. Her stomach turned. It would only get worse the longer she waited, she knew.
“I’m returning to Kharav,” she said before taking another bite of potato and looking back at her grandmother.
