They Called My Father a Traitor, So I Learned Every Secret They Buried novel · Chapter 14 of 24
Chapter 14: What He Does Not Claim
Kestrel set my knife across my palm while Hadley waited beside the stove for an answer about the patrol's next delivery.
The blade was warm from his hand. My fingers closed around the hilt before I looked at him.
His sweater was straight again. Mine was not. He had fastened the top button of my dress with the care of a man repairing evidence, and I had left his collar open because I had wanted to see the mark my teeth made there.
Hadley saw it.
She saw everything.
'You look rested,' she said.
'I am not,' I replied.
Kestrel took the chair near the examination table. He moved with the same measured control he used when fever had him shaking under three blankets. The control was less convincing now.
Hadley lifted one brow. 'That explains why the two of you took so long to discuss patrol supply routes.'
'We discussed several matters.'
'No doubt. Some of them may even have involved words.'
I placed the knife beside the folded cloths. 'You came for a reason.'
'I did. I also came prepared to wait outside until morning, because the kennel boys were under strict orders and I have a healthy respect for orders delivered with that much confidence.'
'You ignored the order.'
'I obeyed the important part. I stayed downstairs. I only came up when the stove started smoking and Kestrel stopped answering.'
Kestrel glanced toward the iron stove. 'It was not smoking when I entered.'
'You were occupied.'
His mouth shifted before he stopped it. The movement was small. I noticed anyway.
I had slept with him. That fact sat between us without shame. It had not given him rights over me. It had given him a clearer way to lose them.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of They Called My Father a Traitor, So I Learned Every Secret They Buried are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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