Cloak & Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon Read Free Book Online Page A

so that he could enter.
    Ture was still hesitant. For the last two weeks, he’d purposefully kept a large distance between him and Maris. He knew better than to be attracted to the friend of a friend, especially one who was as beloved as Maris was to Zarya. If they were to become involved and it didn’t work out, it would be awkward for all of them.
    That was the last thing he wanted.
    But tonight was the anniversary of his sister’s death, and he couldn’t breathe from the memories and pain of her loss. He just needed something to distract his thoughts for a little while.
    Biting his lip, he headed for the small settee that was in the center of Mari’s sitting room. “Wow,” he breathed, looking around at the elegant and spacious area. “And I thought my room was huge.”
    Maris smiled. “This is the queen’s chambers. Rather fitting, all things considered.”
    Ture laughed as he sat down. “How did you end up here?”
    “When Darling took power, he had me moved from my small room on the guest wing to this one so that I’d be closer to his chambers, which are just down the hall now.”
    “I’ll bet that raised a few eyebrows.”
    Maris went to the breakfast bar on the far wall and poured him a cup of tea then brought it to him. There was an adorable twinkle in his eyes as he wrinkled his nose. “Still does. Even with him married, half the staff and most of the CDS still believe he’s really gay and just pretending to be Zarya’s husband.”
    Ture took the cup from his hand. “So if you have the queen’s chambers, where does Zarya stay?”
    “In Darling’s room. Before the League kidnapped you two, he was bad about letting her out of his sight. Now . . . I’m not sure he allows her to go to the bathroom without him.”
    “Yes, but I like that about him.”
    Maris sat down on the other side of the coffee table, on a comfortable stuffed chair. He reached for his own cup of tea. “Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind?”
    Ture glanced away as he felt tears pricking his eyes. “My little sister died of cancer when I was a teen, and. . . .” He broke off, unable to finish the sentence. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”
    Maris moved to kneel next to him. He placed a kind hand on Ture’s knee. “I’m very sorry.”
    Ture swallowed against the painful lump in his throat. “It’s so hard, you know? She was the only member of my family who really loved me. The only one who didn’t judge me.”
    “Was she your only sibling?”
    “No, I have an asshole brother who comes around whenever he needs a favor or money.”
    Maris scoffed. “Asshole brothers I know a lot about.”
    “Yeah, I’ll bet you do. Do any of them ever contact you?”
    “Safir. But it’s very dangerous for him to do it. I’m lucky he loves me enough to be stupid.”
    Ture laughed. “I adore the way you describe things. It’s unique.”
    Maris winked at him. “Far be it from me to ever be normal. I don’t like doing what’s expected of me.” He gave a squeeze to Ture’s knee then returned to his chair and tea. “What about you?”
    “Definitely not normal.”
    “Normality is overrated.”
    “Some day’s so is sanity.”
    Maris laughed. “I couldn’t agree more.”
    Ture stirred cream into his tea as he watched the elegant way Maris moved. He held so much grace and dignity. Regal refinement bled from every part of him and at times it left Ture feeling inadequate. Like a bumbling hick. Yet Maris never seemed to mind the fact that he was lowborn. “So what’s it like being a prince?”
    “It’s no different from any other life, except you have to watch your back more carefully. Enemies and desperate news reporters abound. It makes one extremely paranoid.”
    “You seem to handle it well.”
    “Mostly because I don’t care. What are they going to do to me? Call me names? Oh, the horror! Someone save me from hearing the opinion of someone I couldn’t care less about.”
    Ture shook his head. “I