Page 152 of Shadow Queen
Why didn’t she smirk at him? Or smile, or something?
A voice sounded beside him, but he paid it no mind.
Had she not seen him?
No—she’d seen him.
“Lord Commander,” came the voice again, and he looked over to find his training captain, Vasil.
“What?” he rasped.
“Should I start the spear circuits?”
Spear circuits? Soren glanced across the earlies, who were finishing their sword rounds.Spear circuits. “Fine.”
Vasil bellowed out to the earlies, and Soren looked back to find Salara. But she was gone.
“Gods, that’s hot!” Norah exclaimed, and tried to soothe her scorched tongue against the roof of her mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Salara,” Vitalia said quickly, rushing over. “I made it too hot.”
Norah set the cup of tea back on its saucer. “No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.” Her mind had been… far away.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m perfectly fine.” And she was fine… physically.
Mikael hadn’t come to their bed last night. He’d said he had work to tend, but he always had work to tend, and he’d always slept in their bed. And now three nights in a row she had slept alone—the three nights since she had returned from the hillside house. Was he disappointed with her? He’d said he was relieved she hadn’t taken Soren, but perhaps now the gravity of her decision sat with him, as it did her. There would be no child.
Or perhaps now that they’d reached acceptance and were beyond desperations, he found himself regretting they’d even taken the option into consideration, like she did. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the shame. Although brief, shehadbeen willing. She’d chosen Soren, and Soren knew she’d chosen him. Now she couldn’t even look at him.
And Mikael couldn’t look at her.
“Here, I’ll get you some wine to temper it,” Vitalia said as she reached for the decanter.
Norah snapped back to the present. “No, it’s all right. I should actually get out and start the day.” She had let too much of the morning pass.
Vitalia smiled warmly. “Of course, Salara. I’ll just set to tidying up, then.”
Norah forced a smile back and rose from the small table by the windows. She slipped on her silk shoes and moved to the chamber door, but when she opened it, she jumped.
Soren stared back at her.
“Hammel’s hell, you scared me,” she said as her pulse slowed.
“Are you avoiding me?”
“No,” she replied defensively. She was just trying to not talk to him. Or see him. She glanced back at Vitalia. “Leave us, please.”
Her maid bobbed her head and left them to privacy.
His eyes narrowed between the slit in his wrap as he stepped inside the chamber. “You saw me in the field yesterday and didn’t smirk at me.”
“I thought you didn’t like when I smirked at you.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you angry that I didn’t?”
