They sang their foul song throughout the night and Danika tossed and turned in the spare bed in the captain’s chambers, wishing she could clog her ears with seaweed. She’d left all of her elegant nightgowns on Valorian’s ship, and she sweated in her undergarments, kicking the thick sheets to her ankles. Ironically, she preferred to sweat on the Fortune’s hay-strewn mattress than sleep in luxury on Valorian’s ship. Bron lay only two rooms away and the beat of his heart came through the walls, calling to her. Danika thought back to their quest to Darkenbite, when she’d slept an arm’s length away. Why hadn’t she reached out to him at least once? Why had it taken her this long to realize the shape of her heart? Valorian. He was why. Even if they succeeded in this quest and returned home victorious, Valorian would be waiting. Only a fool would tempt fate by rejecting the House of Song’s union and leave her kingdom vulnerable and alone.
