Page 38 of A Court of Bones & Sorrow

“Alaric told me what happened and that you were with Vail. He said you were fine and then passed out on the settee,” Kieran explained as he gave up on staring me down and looked Samara over instead. His eyes widened when he took in what she was wearing. “Why are you in his shirt?” he demanded.

“Oh, this old thing?” she drawled as she twirled the edges of the shirt that dangled by her mid-thigh, and I looked away as it lifted up. “You’d have to ask him.”

Kieran whirled around to face me, and for a second, I thought he might punch me. “Try it.” I shrugged. “Could use a good laugh.”

He actually took a step forward, but Samara was there in an instant, standing between us with her hands on his chest. “How about we use our words instead of our fists?” Kieran looked like he’d bit into something sour but wrapped his arms around Samara when she twisted so her back was against his chest. I kept my eyes focused on hers, refusing to let them drop to where Kieran’s arms were now resting across her stomach. “Care to fill us in on what happened last night? All I remember is walking back on the beach with you, and then . . . you caught me when I fell.”

“The barbs in those giant tentacles had some type of venom. Probably something to neutralize prey. You passed out, so I carried you back.” I crossed my arms. “It was pretty clear you weren’t making that climb back into your room, so I figured the barracks were the best place for you to sleep it off.”

“So you just stripped her down when she was unconscious?” Kieran looked at me coldly.

“You’re lucky she’s here—otherwise, I’d break your jaw for what you’re implying.” My arms dropped to my sides and my fingers curled as I imagined grabbing him by the neck and slamming his head into the wall. “She was covered in dried blood and her clothes were torn to shreds. As soon as I got her into my room, I retrieved Adrienne.Shewas the one who cleaned Samara up. We used my shirt because it’s large and baggy and agreed it would be most comfortable for her to sleep in. I slept on the floor.”

Samara’s eyes cut to the small space between the bed and wall. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said softly.

I shifted on my feet. “It’s fine. I’ve slept in worse conditions.” Her eyes lingered on me, and the discomfort I’d been feeling only increased. I could deal with Samara when she wasannoyed or frustrated at me. I could even tolerate her when she was being obnoxious and flirty, but when she looked at me like she genuinely cared about my well-being . . .

“I’ve wasted too much time babysitting you,” I growled. “Your pretty boy can fetch you other clothes. Close my door when you leave.”

Before she could argue, I brushed past the two of them and fled into the hallway, and as soon as the door closed behind me, I let out a deep breath.

“Went that well, huh?” a bright, cheery, feminine voice asked.

“Adrienne,” I groaned. “It’s too early for your bullshit.”

The blonde ranger fell into step beside me. She was tall for a woman, only a couple of inches below six feet, but I still towered over her. As the Marshal, I was in charge of all the rangers who belonged to House Harker, but I also had my own unit who traveled with me regularly. Adrienne had been part of that unit since the beginning, so I knew her well. Everything about her reminded me of sunshine. It should have been annoying, but somehow, it just worked for her.

“The sun has been up for hours,” she pointed out. “I got here five minutes ago because I was worried Samara might have murdered you for being a prick.”

“And you were going to avenge me?” I slid a glance at her.

“Fuck no.” She laughed. “Was gonna help her hide the body.”

“Your loyalty could use some work,” I grunted.

Adrienne gave me a wide-eyed look. “She’s the Heir of House Harker. Who else could I possibly be loyal to?” Thick eyelashes blinked rapidly over her bright blue eyes, where only the faintest lines of gold could be seen.

“I’m gonna tell Emil to pummel you in sparring today.”

She grinned wickedly. “Please, I could beat that old man with one arm tied behind my back.”

We both knew that was bullshit. Emil was older—he was one of the only fourth-generation Moroi who was still an active ranger. Despite being in his late eighties, he still looked and acted like he was in his forties. Even I had a hard time bringing Emil down. As good as Adrienne was, she was still nowhere near Emil’s level.

But he had a soft spot for her, so he always went a little easy on her.

We traded barbs back and forth, and some of the tension eased out of me. A few rangers passed us and waved in greeting, but most were already outside or still sleeping if they’d been on night shift. We reached the stairs at the end of the hall and headed down. The barracks were a long, rectangular building that had four levels above ground and two underneath. We weren’t sure what the Fae had used the building for, but the original rooms had been much larger before it had been repurposed for the rangers. Now the rooms were small but comfortable with a mix of singles and doubles. There were a few large enough for six or more, as visiting rangers from other Houses sometimes preferred to bunk together.

“Anything to report?” I asked as we stepped out into the bright, midmorning sun. Emil might be a better fighter, but Adrienne was more skilled at dealing with people, so she served as my right-hand. If she ever needed advice, she’d go to Emil. The arrangement had worked well for us for years.

“One of the units is back from investigating some type of burrowing creature on the badlands border. I think you’ll be interested in what they have to say.” Something about her tone gave me pause, like she was amused, but if she hadn’t said it outright, then there was no convincing her to say it now. I’d just have to speak to the rangers and see what they had to say. “Also . . . Nyx has decided they’re fully recovered, and they are currently in the sparring ring.”

“It’s been a week,” I said slowly. “They were healed days ago.”

“That wraith broke over a dozen bones in their body, including some of the vertebrae in their spine.” She clenched her jaw as her cheeriness faded. We were all protective of Nyx because they were like a younger sibling to us, but neither I nor Emil had any actual siblings. Adrienne had a younger brother who had died when they’d been teenagers. I didn’t know the specifics of it, only that it was one of the reasons she’d left her original House and came to Harker. “They should take another week off.”

“Adrienne.” I stopped and waited until she faced me. “Nyx is fine. They’re frustrated that the wraith got the jump on them.” The sound of bones snapping echoed through my mind as I remembered Nyx slamming into that wall at the temple. It was Samara who’d made sure Nyx got out. She’d prioritized the young ranger over her own safety. It was a surprising move for the Heir of a House. Foolish even.

Yet it had thawed a little more of my hatred towards her.

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