Page 64 of Her Cruel Redemption

‘Is he lying?’ I whispered to Mae.

She shook her head. ‘I feel no deceit or aggression. I think he really does want to talk to her.’

‘What if he’s just shielding so you can’t read him accurately?’

‘Well, that’s the funny thing. He isn’t shielding at all.’ The sidelong look she gave me when she said these words, so heavily laden with some kind of insinuation, made me deeply uncomfortable. I wanted to ask her what she meant by that, why she was looking at me so strangely, but I didn’t. I just sat back in my chair, determining my own course of action as the meeting was officially drawn to a close. There was an exchange of threats, about the meeting on the battlefield of Port Howl. The usurpers rose to leave—all except Lester, who sighed and began picking at his nails—while Gwinellyn sat with a ramrod-straight spine. I stared at her, trying to catch her eye, but she was gazing determinedly ahead, chin lifted, looking like she was keeping a very tight control of her emotions. And then with a final nod to Esario, Draven was stalking out of the room followed by those he’d brought with him, and suddenly it was all over and I was left sitting in the vacuum he left behind, wondering if that was really it. All that effort to make sure I was sitting at this table couldn’t have been all just for that little bit of needling, could it? Had he really just forced the issue to prove that he could make me bend? Well, yes. I supposed he would do something so petty. And I didn’t care about his reason, only that he made good on his promise.

‘I don’t like this,’ I heard Vic mutter to Esario as I rose to my feet.

‘Neither do I. But I don’t like a few hundred soldiers being his prisoners, either.’

I didn’t stay to hear the rest of the conversation, heading for the door myself. The hallway was empty as I stepped into it, and I looked towards the outer door, wondering if he’d followed outside to see them all off.

‘Looking for me?’ My heart jolted. I spun around to find Draven leaning against the wall by the doorway, arms folded. ‘You didn’t think I’d let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?’

‘I’m not leaving until I know where Leela is.’

He pushed himself off the wall. ‘She’ll be released when the soldiers are.’

‘Is she alright? Have you hurt her?’

‘She’s fine. Well fed and kept in comfort. She’ll tell you so herself when you see her.’

Some of the tension in my chest loosened, and I took the first full breath I’d taken since I’d realised she was his prisoner. Even though I couldn’t take his word for it. Even though anything he said was likely to be a lie. He moved towards me and I stumbled backwards without thinking, heart hammering already, remembering the chase through the streets on the banks of the Cro. He paused, something crossing his face too quickly for me to read.

‘So what was this all for, then?’ I said, trying to smooth over that show of weakness with bluster. ‘You dragged me here just to show that you could?’

He smirked, cocking his head. ‘I suppose you’re disappointed I didn’t ask foryouin exchange for those soldiers. I still could.’

My breath caught for just a moment as something thrilled down my spine.

‘Or,’ he continued, ‘I could go in there and tell them what a bad girl you’ve been. Always such a good liar, though.Enchantment.’ He scoffed the final word.

‘That isn’t a lie.’

‘The lies you tell yourself always seem to be the ones you defend the most aggressively, my lovely wife.’

‘I’m not yourwifeanymore.’

‘See?’ His smirk widened. ‘You make my point for me.’

There it was again. That familiar old urge to smack him or shake him or wipe the smirk from his face. I couldn’t let him draw me into this sort of exchange. It was just giving him what he wanted. ‘What do you want to say to Gwinellyn so badly?’

‘That’s between me and her.’

‘I’m not leaving her alone with you. I don’t trust that you care enough for your brother to let her go unharmed for his sake.’

He huffed a laugh. ‘You’ll leave if you want the soldiers returned. I know the lives of faceless innocents isn’t much of a motivator for you, but your beloved Gwinellyn will be very unhappy if you jeopardise them by refusing to comply.’

I took a step closer to him, simmering with heat and menace. ‘If you lay a finger on her, I’ll make Lester scream so loudly that you’ll hear it all the way from Lee Helse. Maybe you think Esario wouldn’t resort to torture, but just know that I happily would. And then I’d come for you and do the same.’

His eyes darkened. ‘I know you would.’

The mood seemed to shift, the memory of the way he’d chased me dissolving into the feeling I’d had when he’d sank to his knees. Something was clawing at the walls of my chest as I stared up at him, something hot and sharp and rabid that reeked of smoke and writhed with screams and blood and the hideous pain of a vulnerability I should never have trusted him with. His gaze roamed my face, hungry, searching for something to devour.

‘What have you let them do to you?’ he said quietly. He gently touched a hand to my chin, lifting it, turning it. For some reason, I let him. ‘You’re covered in stolen magic.’

It broke me from my trance. ‘That’s none of your business,’ I snapped, shaking him off, but he caught my hand before I could step away. And then he went completely still, his eyes now fixed on my wrist. When I followed his attention, I saw my sleeve had slipped back, the edge of the bruise peeking out past the hem. I watched as he slid his fingers up my forearm, rolling the sleeve up, revealing the rest of the mark, the purple colouring, the raw patches where the rope had rubbed.

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