“A Khysal and a Brisden,” I murmured. “A union forever thwarted by a malign star.” Gentle fingertips once more combed over my scalp, each caressing stroke urging my head deeper into his chest. There it rested, in the crook between his pectorals, one ear close to the elevated beat of his heart, the other exposed to his whisper. “Fated only to end in emotional tragedy.” His fingers stalled in my hair, and I only now noticed the slight tremble they carried. “As it should. As it ought to. Anything other than that, Galantia, would be too great a betrayal to my family, no matter my personal…
...more
