I didn't move back to the fortress after Ronan and I reconciled. Sometimes we stayed at my estate and sometimes at his castle. He handled military affairs, while I managed the land my parents had left me. When our work was done, one of us would ride through the night to see the other.
Ronan often complained that he didn't see enough of me, but he never asked me to abandon my own responsibilities.
Then Locke returned to the border under the pretense of peace negotiations. I agreed to meet him in the reception hall and asked Ronan to wait outside for fifteen minutes.
Locke was much thinner than when I'd last seen him. His once immaculate collar was creased, and stubble shadowed his jaw. He shot to his feet the moment he saw me. "Juliet, you finally agreed to see me."
He still carried the
