THE DUSK BEFORE THE DAWNS
ally woke up that morning with a sick feeling in her gut. A feeling of impending doom. Staring at the wall clock, she wasn’t surprised that she woke up late, considering how late she had fallen asleep the previous night. A small smile split her lips, followed by a red that spread across her cheeks.
Chad had been very demanding—more demanding than he had been with her. It was beautiful. And speaking of her husband. She looked around the empty bedroom for him, but he wasn’t in the room. Then she heard the faint sound of an axe hitting some wood repeatedly.
She got up and entered the small bathhouse, her face glowing as she felt the aches in her body that were a perfect memory of everything he had done to her the night before. She loved being married to the love of her life. She never thought her life would ever turn out like this.
A few moments later, she was dressed in a plain yellow petticoat and a beautiful, small-rounded hat on her head. She strode to the kitchen to fix something to eat for them.
That bad feeling came again in her gut—this time around, stronger, deadlier. Her princess, Danika.
She paused in the middle of cutting vegetables and savored the feeling of longing for her princess. She had missed seeing her princess. So much it was almost a physical ache.
Sally had planned for a while now to see her princess, but she had never found the time to do that because she and her husband were still trying to settle in. They were working around the house and renovating in their spare time.
Standing on her toes, Sally looked out of the kitchen window, watching Chad as he chopped wood. He’d told her he wanted to build a storeroom for them.
Oh, Princess Danika, I miss you so much, Sally thought. She resolved to make time today—no matter how little—to see her princess in the palace.
“Why do you look so worried? Are you alright, my dear?”
Sally sighed when she heard the voice of her husband close behind her. He wrapped his hand around her waist. She must have been too caught up in her thoughts. She didn’t hear him walk in.
“I’m worried about my princess. I woke up having a very bad feeling in my gut,” she explained softly. “I miss her badly.”
“I think about the king, too, from time to time. We should make time to visit the palace.” Chad played with her soft hair, watching her cook.
Sally nodded. His words should have eased her worry and calmed her heart, but they didn’t.
The sickening feeling in her gut only worsened.
Callan was working behind his house. Peace and serenity were his only companions, exactly how he liked it. The chirping of birds in the morning. The sound of river flowed down a few miles away. The soft sweeping wind every moment. He was deep in thought as he cut the linens he wanted to use as new cotton for his house.
He was quickly jerked out of his thoughts when he heard a soft but firm knock on his front door. He dropped the scissors and the linen and stood from the wooden chair. He walked through the backyard to his house and entered the sitting room, going straight to the door, where he pulled it open.
It surprised him to see this visitor—months after he heard of her impending marriage to a king.
“Good day, my lady.” He extended with a bow of his head, opening the door wider for her to enter.
“Hello,” Princess Kamara greeted. She was nervous, and he had never known her to be anything but sparkling.
Kamara removed the hood she used to cover herself while making this forbidden journey. Her father would be furious at her if he found out about this, but she couldn’t stay away any longer. She needed to see him. Not seeing him the past few months hadn’t been easy, coupled with her month in Salem, and he was all she thought about since she returned the previous day.
Her eyes took him in the same way he watched her. He was one of the most handsome men she had ever met, with those devastating blue eyes that were expressive, unlike King Lucien’s dead eyes.
Kamara admitted she was a nervous mess. Her insides tingled just at the sight of him. Her heart raced, and her cheeks were faintly red.
Callan was the only man who reduced her to this state. She would have been ashamed of herself if she hadn’t realized her deep feelings for him.
“I’m sorry for dropping in unannounced. I ---” she paused, not knowing the way to say it. “I just needed to see you.”
“It’s no problem or hardship, my lady. I-I was not expecting to see you at all,” he stuttered out, obviously flustered by her presence.
“Oh, should I go?” She must have caught him at a bad time. She shouldn’t have —
“No, no, that’s not it, my lady.” He was quick to clear her doubts. He looked behind her in search of something.
He must be looking for Henna, Kamara deducted. She had never visited him before without her personal maid. In fact, she rarely went anywhere without her.
She pushed the strands of her hair away from her face, and an almost-shy smile appeared. “It’s just me today. I came alone.”
“Oh.” He balanced his weight on the other foot. His eyes were everywhere but at her. He pointed behind him. “I am working out back.”
“Can I stay with you while you work? I wouldn’t disturb or distract you. I will—”
“Yes, please,” he replied, cutting her off.
Her eyes brightened, and she looked at his face more. It calmed most of her nerves to see that he was as flustered as she was. Maybe, just maybe, he felt her absence when she stopped coming around.
“I can stay?” she asked in clarification.
He held the door wider for her, and his eyes finally met hers. “Yes. You can stay for as long as you want. I don’t mind.”
The last of Kamara’s worries about invading his privacy disappeared on the wind, and her lips stretched into a wild smile as she walked into the house.