Chapter 136

• HE HAD dreaded this day.
• Xavian did not wake, because he had not slept. He had been tempted, on so many levels, to break with tradition and join Layla—had even walked down the corridor. But Baja had sat outside the bedroom, guarding the Queen, assuring that she rested, and her currant eyes had held his for a long, silent moment before Xavian had retreated.
• For months Xavian had dreaded this—not his wedding, but the reception.