Maerilee

I yank open the wardrobe, my hands trembling slightly as I sift through the dry clothes. I’m going to kill River for this. Duchess is still hiding under the bed. I grab a simple dress and some undergarments, my fingers brushing against the soft fabric as I pull them out, my heart racing with anxiety about what this could mean.

Akin is standing beside me, quietly changing out of his soaked clothes. I glance at him, my chest tightening with a mixture of emotions I can’t quite name. I know what I felt with him, the certainty that settled in my bones when I woke up wrapped in his...