22. Chapter 22

twenty-two

N evander led Enola back to the stables, his footsteps as heavy as his heart. The sky darkened overhead, mirroring the tumult in his mind.

He’d let Kallessa go. She deserved space to process without his presence muddying the waters. But had he done the right thing? The weight of his vow to Tynan pressed down on him, a burden finally lifted, yet it left him hollow.

Rain began to fall, fat droplets splattering against his skin. He barely noticed.

Before today, Tynan’s story had been just another tragic tale from the war, one of countless soldiers breathing their last. Now, it pulsed with new life. Kallessa was no longer a faceless victim but a vibrant, complex woman he was growing to... what? Care for? Admire? His chest tightened at the thought.

Enola tugged at her reins, eager for the shelter of the stables and the promise of treats. Nevander smiled despite himself. Some things never changed. Wynna had spoiled this pony rotten years ago.

Wynna. Another pang shot through him. She and Kallessa would get along famously, both possessing that rare blend of sweetness and wit. The thought of introducing them sent a jolt of longing through him, chased by a wave of guilt. How could he even entertain such notions ?

As he neared the stables, his mind raced. Who had claimed Kallessa’s estate after her family’s death? Castien would know–in fact, Nevander was certain the prince had known Kallessa’s true identity all along. His jaw clenched. Why hadn’t Castien said anything?

Was she truly destitute? It hardly seemed so. But if she was, he would fix it. He was a damn prince, wasn’t he? What good was that power and wealth if he couldn’t improve at least one person’s life?

No matter what he discovered, he would ensure Kallessa never felt destitute again. Even if she hated him after this. Even if she hated him after she learned the truth about who he really was.

The failed prince.

As he handed Enola over to a waiting stable hand, the heavens truly opened. Rain lashed down, stripping the last leaves from the trees and drenching him in seconds.

Nevander stood there, letting the cold water soak through his clothes. Part of him wanted to stay, to let the rain wash away his sins, his secrets, his very identity. But he couldn’t. Not yet.

Kallessa craved silence. A melancholy shroud enveloped her as she dragged a chair before the library’s fireplace and slumped into it. It wasn’t particularly cold, but she needed the comfort of fire, something to soothe her.

She stared at the door Prince Castien had exited through, but it wasn’t her home to shut doors, as much as she wanted to. What was she going to do for the rest of the evening? Sulk? No, she was tired of brooding. As she stared into the dancing flames, an epiphany struck her with the force of a thunderbolt.

She hadn’t caused her parents' deaths.

The realization left her breathless. Had she been silently shouldering this blame all along, allowing that weight to crush her?

The library door creaked, startling Kallessa out of her thoughts. Nevander strode in, his hair and clothes drenched from the raging downpour outside. His eyes, filled with concern, immediately sought her out.

Kallessa sprang to her feet, hastily clearing her throat of emotions. She'd just run off and left him in the rain. Some companion she was. He'd probably think twice before inviting her on another picnic. “You’re soaked through,” she said, extending her hand. “Come, dry out by the fire before you catch your death.”

Instead of heeding her suggestion, Nevander closed the distance between them in a few long strides. Before Kallessa could utter another word, his powerful arms encircled her, pulling her against his damp shirt. She stiffened initially, his wet shirt icy against her. But his embrace seeped through her resistance like the sun’s rays melting a layer of frost.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his warm breath stirring the loose strands of her hair. “About today, about everything you’ve endured.” A shiver coursed down her spine that had nothing to do with the chill of his rain-soaked clothing.

Kallessa’s hands pressed against his chest, torn between pushing him away to maintain propriety and surrendering to the comfort he offered. Instead, they stilled there, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips .

Was it possible that he truly understood? That he could see the loneliness she'd hidden for so long? It wasn't possible.

She gently pulled away, forcing a smile. “Would you like to sit by the fire with me for a while?”

Nevander nodded, his eyes never leaving hers as they settled into chairs before the hearth. The crackling flames filled the silence between them, a comforting backdrop to the unspoken words that hung in the air. What was he thinking? His clothes were nearly dry before he turned to her.

His eyes, usually so guarded, held a warmth that made her breath catch. “I want to give Sunu to you,” he said softly. “She likes you better, anyway. And you two look magnificent together, like you were meant to be.” A playful smile danced across his lips. “I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help admiring how you rode her this afternoon. The way you moved together was like poetry.”

Kallessa gasped. “You are giving Sunu to me? Truly?” She could scarcely believe the words. Surely, she’d misheard him over the pounding of her own pulse.

“Yes.”

In that moment, a tiny piece of Kallessa’s fractured soul stitched itself back together. The thought of Sunu belonging to her once more, a living reminder of happier times, made her eyes sting with unshed tears. “Thank you,” she managed to say around the lump forming in her throat. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

“Maybe I don’t,” Nevander replied, his expression inscrutable in the flickering firelight. “Maybe one day you can help me understand.”

As he tossed another log onto the fire, Kallessa realized how surprisingly easy his companionship felt. Unlike Dovina’s exhausting whirlwind of activity or the constant worry that plagued her when caring for Aunt Gevene, Nevander’s presence brought a sense of comfort she hadn’t realized she craved. Here in this library, surrounded by silent tomes of stories yet untold, she could finally relax.

The steady rhythm of his breathing mingled with the crackling fire, lulled Kallessa into a trance-like state. Her mind calmed, her own breaths slowing to match his. The edges of her vision grew hazy, suffused with warmth and an unfamiliar sense of security. Her eyelids grew heavy, fluttering closed—for just a moment.