The Royal Healer: Part 6

Khaled’s mood hadn’t softened since the last time my hands were on another man.

He hadn’t spoken of it directly, but the silence between us had weight, the kind that settled in your chest and made every breath feel heavier.

When the summons came from the border, he didn’t even ask if I was coming.

It was part of our agreement.

If Khaled went to war, I went with him.

Dawn broke cold, the kind of chill that bites through armor. We rode out from the palace gates at the head of a column of soldiers, the banners of the Crown Prince snapping in the wind.

Khaled didn’t look at me as we passed through the city streets, but I could feel his awareness, sharp as a blade, always cutting in my direction.

The ride was long, and the silence longer.

Once, when my horse shifted too close to another soldier’s, I caught the flicker of Khaled’s glare from beneath his helm. It was gone as quickly as it came, replaced with the same stoic