Page 131 of A Promise so Bold and Broken

Licking her lips, Soria nodded. “She’s right. We heard whispers in the taverns that traitors had been captured on Asker, and we thought…”

“Must be Lessia, mustn’t it? And we owe you.” Pellie put an arm around her sister.

“We do. You saved us.”

“And we don’t like to owe anyone.”

“We don’t,” Soria confirmed. “And now we’re hopefully even?”

“Especially since we saved that scary Fae male of yours.” Pellie gestured toward Merrick, who’d been watching the sisters talk with his mouth hanging slightly open.

Lessia held back a smile.

They were a lot.

Always talking, always playing, always up to do something fun.

But she’d never imagined they’d risk their lives for her this way.

“Well, shall we get going?” Soria pointed up the spiral stairs behind her. “It’s still a day’s walk to the capital from here.”

The rattling of chains reached Lessia’s ears, but for once, it didn’t immobilize her.

“Soon. We need to save two more.” Lessia dropped down onto her knees by the knocked-out guards.

Eyeing the wooden makeshift weapon the sisters must have grabbed from the forest, she shook her head and began digging into Theon’s pocket, ignoring the pain shooting up her arm when the chains around her wrist scraped against her new tattoo.

More metal clinking told her she’d found what she was looking for, and as soon as she pulled the keys out of his trousers, she got to her feet again and walked up to Merrick.

The traitor’s mark was stark against his skin as she unlocked the cuffs around his wrists, but she refused to look away from the large black letters.

When Merrick quietly took the key from her to free her wrists, she kept her eyes on the identical tattoos marring their arms, following each swerve of the characters, every drop of dried blood peppering his golden skin and her slightly fairer arm.

Traitor.

Wasn’t it what they were, anyway?

She was a traitor to the crown in Vastala.

To her own flesh and blood.

And she would betray Loche without a doubt if that was needed to save Havlands.

Lessia blinked a few times.

But the thought remained.

She would if it came to that.

One of Merrick’s fingers stroked her cheek, and when it reached her neck, she lifted her gaze to his.

His eyes searched hers, and when they didn’t find what she was sure he was looking for, a half smile lit up his face.

“It’s the same one,” he said softly.

You and me.

That’s what he’d said when she’d panicked.

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