Free Dark Fate: The Gathering (The Dark Fate Chronicles Book 1) by Matt Howerter, Jon Reinke Page A

not squeeze hard enough to cause pain. She bit down savagely on the meaty hand and threw her elbow back in an upward arc to hopefully catch her assailant in the face.
    A deep grunt sounded as her elbow connected with something soft. The arms dropped her and she began to scramble away. “Arece! Stop, dammit. It’s me!”
    Arece staggered to a halt once she recognized the voice. She turned slowly, breathing deeply. The panic gave way abruptly to anger, and she growled through clenched teeth, “You stupid, bloody fool! You scared me to death... and what if someone had seen you?”
    Arece’s eyes began to adjust to the gloom, and she could begin to make out the broad shoulders and thick arms of Bale, captain of the castle guard and bodyguard to the royal family of Pelos. He crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat and pressed his lips to hers roughly, pushing her against the door in the process.
    Arece could taste blood in her mouth from the split lip she had given him. In spite of her anger, her body responded as his kiss became more intense. Still angry, she shoved him off and hissed, “You’ll get us both killed! We’ve spoken of this before. No more until my daughters are settled in Basinia!” Arece took a deep, calming breath, attempting to master herself.
    “Forgive me, My Queen. I can’t keep you from my mind.” Bale’s voice came in a strained whisper. He stepped closer and placed his hand on the door, then leaned in to smell her hair.
    His breath on her neck made Arece’s skin tingle in anticipation, and she stepped around his large frame into the room. “Enough, Bale! I command it!” She couldn’t afford to lose control of her emotions with Bale. Every part of her yearned for the warmth of his touch; it was maddening. “We should never have begun this affair in the first place. By Eos, what was I thinking?”
    “How could you say such a thing?” Bale stepped away from the door but kept his distance. “The king is a cold man, My Queen. You deserve more than that. Better than that. What we have together is real !”
    Guilt washed over her like a mudslide. “Deserving has little to do with it. I’ve allowed myself this selfish escape.” She held up a hand to forestall his protest. “No matter how real it feels. What I should be tending to is the kingdom, and my daughters.”
    Bale shook his head. “You blame yourself for the princesses’ troubles needlessly. They make their own decisions now, and have for some time.”
    Arece laughed but there was no mirth in it. “You call exile and an arranged marriage ‘choices’? You have a twisted sense of free will.”
    Bale folded his arms across his broad chest. “You confuse responsibility with choice. They were taught what was to be expected of them. It was Sacha’s choice to run. Sloane has chosen to handle her responsibilities with much more dignity. You cannot blame yourself, nor take credit for their actions. They took what you gave them and acted according to their personalities.”
    Arece snorted softly. “Oh, if it were only so simple. I knew Sacha would run, I knew it from when she was very young. She’s too much like I was, always wanting a happy ending”—her voice quavered softly—“and I did nothing to stifle those foolish, unrealistic dreams.”
    “You would’ve broken her if you had done so.”
    “Is she not broken now? Stripped of love, dignity, and... pride.” Arece had almost said “child,” which would have been a most grievous error. Apart from Sacha and herself, the mages were the only ones who knew of Sacha’s child. If the king were to find out, her grandchild’s life would be forfeit, and quite possibly Sacha’s as well. She felt she could trust Bale with her life, and indeed had already done so, but the fewer people who knew, the fewer roads available for the truth to travel.
    Bale countered, “No, I don’t believe so. I spoke with Sacha briefly upon her arrival, and if anything, she has become