AARYN

Something was wrong.

Where was his brash and bold best friend? Where was the Queen who’d dominated her own father through sheer will?

Elreth looked wrong, and smelled wrong, and it was obvious to anyone who was watching—and pretty much everyone was watching. He prayed this would be little more than a momentary hiccup. That she’d choose her Cohorts tomorrow evening and everyone would forget how uncertain she looked this evening.

It set his teeth on edge seeing her shaky like this. It was completely unlike her—and did not work in her favor as a newly dominant Queen. Change always made the people uncertain. They needed to see her at her best and strongest right now. And instead she was… wavering.

What was wrong?

He bolted his meal until even his mother raised her eyebrows and urged him to slow down. “No one will take your food, Son,” she said with a soft laugh. “Did you skip lunch?”

“No, I just… there’s a lot to do tonight. I’m sorry, Mother. I’m distracted. I need to get Elreth back to the cave. The Wise-women are coming tonight and she hasn’t chosen her cohorts yet.”

His mother tipped her head and put her hand to his shoulder. “You’re a good male, Aaryn,” she said with a watery smile. “I wish your father could be here to see this.”

Aaryn sighed. His mother refused to accept that his father had been disloyal. She swore that the stories about him were untrue—that she would have known it if he were traitor.

As far as Aaryn was concerned, it really didn’t matter. Regardless of what his father truly thought, he was gone. And in his absence, everyone believed he’d been a traitor. As such, his father was the source of half of their problems—and he didn’t even have the decency to have lived to answer for his crimes.

But Aaryn had argued this with his mother too many times. It wasn’t worth bringing up again. Especially not here.

His mother was already getting to her feet. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yes,” he said, standing up too as she rose.

“Finish your meal, Aaryn. Then help your Queen.” She turned and waved to Elreth—who smiled and waved back. But Aaryn could scent Elreth’s distraction. And… worry? Grief? Self-loathing?

It made no sense.

As soon as his mother had gotten to the walkway out of the market, he turned on his heel and strode to the front. Staying on the dirt, not taking the stairs to the stage, but putting himself in front of Elreth, who leaned forward to see him clearly.

“Will you need more assistance tonight?” he said with his voice, but signed ‘What’s wrong? You smell off?’

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind. I’ll be done in a moment,” she replied, signing, ‘Just tired.’

He wanted to frown, but tried to keep his face straight as he said, “I’ll wait for you outside. I need to get out of the noise.” He signed ‘That’s bullshit, El. You don’t smell tired. You smell like something’s wrong.’

“Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes,” she said dismissively. She only signed one word. ‘Later.’ But he nodded. As long as she would talk about it, he could wait.

He caught Dargyn’s eye as he turned away. The male smiled, but there was an edge to it and Aaryn let their eyes hold for as long as he naturally could as he turned to leave.

He knew that look. He faced it every day.

Fucked if he was going to listen to another male try to tell him he had no place there. Especially when “there” was next to Elreth.

*****

ELRETH

As soon as she said she was leaving, Rak and Dargyn protested. “Come on, it’s your first dinner as Queen! We need to make the most of it!”

But surprisingly, Gwyn backed her up. “She’s got a ton to do, guys. Don’t be selfish.”

Elreth gave her a grateful look. “I really do,” she said to the males. “But you guys can sit with me at breakfast if you want. I don’t want to be up here alone then, either.”

They all made noises about being there the next morning and Elreth pushed her chair back. But as she stood Dargyn caught her elbow. “I’ll walk you out, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” Then he fixed her with those piercing green eyes underneath the shock of dark hair on his forehead, and her mouth went dry.