Once Upon a Time (Calluvia's Royalty 3)

“Fuck you,” she said mildly, finally finishing up and hopping onto the transporter pad. “Or is that it? Maybe you should just get laid.”

The activation of the TNIT prevented Rohan from saying anything to that. Not that he had much to say in any case. He could hardly tell Sirri that the accidental bond he’d formed to a Calluvian prince made his skin crawl with unease every time he’d attempted to have sex in the past year. Sirri would never let him live it down. Even Warrehn had no idea, and they usually told everything to each other, being as close as brothers.

When Rohan rematerialized, he was breathing fresh forest air.

He opened his eyes and found himself looking at the enormous mountains towering over the forest. No matter how many times he saw them, Rohan couldn’t help but feel a little awed. The Kavalchi Mountains, or Great Mountains as people called them, were one of the tallest and steepest mountains in the galaxy.

He looked at Warrehn, who materialized next to him. His jaw was clenched, his blue eyes greedily taking in their surroundings. Warrehn’s shields were usually impeccable, but now they were all over the place.

Rohan laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder and squeezed it.

Warrehn gave a tight nod and reinforced his mental shields. “Sorry,” he said gruffly. “Bad memories.”

Sirri was looking around curiously. “I’ve never been to Calluvia before. Is this the forest you’ve been rescued in by our people, War?”

Warrehn gave another clipped nod. “Not very far from here. I was lucky.” He didn’t sound as though he thought he’d been lucky.

Knowing better, Rohan didn’t push.

Unfortunately, Sirri didn’t know better. “Right,” she said with a snort. “I’ve read the reports. They said you tried to go back to Calluvia numerous times in the first year on Tai’Lehr.”

Warrehn didn’t say anything, turning his back to her and starting to walk away, deeper into the forest.

But Sirri being Sirri, didn’t know when to give up. “You were one ungrateful ass,” she said, following him. “You still are.”

“Sirri,” Rohan said warningly.

She ignored his warning. “Didn’t you realize that it would be stupid to go back? You were just a kid, and you couldn’t even get an audience with the Council without your Auntie Dearest finding out about it and making you look like a delusional little attention-seeking idiot—”

“Shut up!” Warrehn snarled, whirling around and shaking her by the shoulders.

Sirri was many things—occasionally annoying and meddling—but cowardly wasn’t one of them. She stood her ground, looking Warrehn in the eye, not at all intimidated by his height and body mass. She was a tough woman, despite her tiny body.

Rohan didn’t interfere, knowing that she wouldn’t appreciate it.

“You know I’m right, War,” she said. “You were what, ten? Old enough to realize that your auntie was a cunning bitch who was two steps ahead of you. The rumors of your… unstable behavior had been spread long before she tried to murder you. Back then, your own people thought that you were an unstable, attention-seeking brat. You would have been dismissed right away if you went to the Council claiming that your auntie tried to kill you. You know that. We were right to keep you on Tai’Lehr. It’s obvious your little brother was dead already anyway—”

“That’s enough, Sirri,” Rohan said, watching Warrehn’s back becoming tenser with every moment.

“Why?” she said with a scoff. “He has no right to act as though we were wrong to force him to stay on Tai’Lehr. It was for his own good!”

“Right,” Warrehn said, his lips twisting into a sardonic smile. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Although Warrehn was a handsome man, his face looked more natural when it was scowling and glaring than when it was smiling. “Just for my own good. It had nothing to do with Lord Tai’Lehr being afraid that I’d give the rebels away if I went back.”

Sirri glared at him. “Uncle Georg had his people to think about. One ungrateful royal brat’s happiness was secondary. We saved your life, but you’re still holding a grudge. Ungratefulness should be your second name, you ass!”

“You know nothing,” Warrehn bit off, his jaw working. “Your perspective is biased.”

Sirri raised her eyebrows mockingly. “And yours isn’t?”

“Enough,” Rohan snapped, fed up with both of them. It was an old argument between them, rehashed over and over. Warrehn and Sirri were stubborn hotheads who never knew when to admit defeat. “If you wanted to quarrel, you should have stayed on Tai’Lehr. One more word and I’m sending you back. Both of you.”

Warrehn glared at him mulishly, but Rohan stared him down until Warrehn finally averted his gaze, frustration rolling off him in thick waves.

“You’re not the boss of me,” Sirri said, lifting her chin. “You can’t send me back. It’s my mission, not yours. You’re just tagging along for no good reason!”