Page 44 of Unravelled
“Are you out of your mind?” Tharion’s voice was low, not harsh, but tight with concern. A raw edge threaded through his usual calm, like a blade dulled from restraint. His expression, typically unreadable, was etched with more fear than fury.
Mira didn’t speak right away. Instead, with slow, deliberate movements, she reached into the folds of her gown. Tharion’s breath caught as her fingers withdrew the parchment. Smooth, warm from her skin, sealed with the sigil of the court. She held it out to him, eyes never leaving him.
His brows drew together, disbelief flickering across his features as he took it. His fingers brushed hers, and for a moment, he didn’t look at the letter. He looked at her. Really looked. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“Mira,” he breathed, low and sharp. “You don’t know what kind of risk you took.”
She arched her brow, calm, unflinching. “I knew exactly what I was doing.”
He shook his head once, the letter clenched in his hand, as though it might vanish if he loosened his grip. “He could’ve caught you. Anyone could have. You could've…”
Her gaze sharpened. “I had one chance, Tharion. One. Before they forced your hand, before you were cornered into something you couldn’t come back from.” She paused, the weight of her next words falling between them like a stone. “And I took it. For you.”
Tharion looked down at the letter again. Then at her. “You don’t have to fight my battles,” he said, the words strained, almost hollow.
“No,” Mira replied, voice quiet but unshaken, “but I will.” She let the silence hang for a moment, then added, “Asric was going to use it. To blackmail you.”
Tharion’s eyes snapped to hers. “What?”
“He wants your support at the next council meeting. He’s ready to use this as leverage.”
Tharion swore under his breath, already half-turning before stopping himself. “They’ve just called a session,” he said. “An emergency meeting. Tonight.”
Mira’s breath caught. “Tonight?”
He nodded once, sharply, already calculating. He looked at the letter again, as if it might scorch him. “I have to go,” he said, voice tightening with urgency. “I need to prepare these, send word. If I move fast, I can get ahead of whatever Asric’s planning.”
He turned, but then paused, just long enough to look back at her, his gaze softening once more. “Mira...”
She tilted her head, waiting. But he only shook his head, as if there weren’t words for what he wanted to say. Then he was gone, his cloak catching the breeze as he vanished into the shadows, the letter clutched tightly in his hand.
Mira stood motionless, her breath caught somewhere between disbelief and fury. The tension in her chest twisted tighter by the second. She turned sharply, pacing the flagstones beneath her feet. The cool garden air did nothing to soothe the fire rising in her throat.
He’d take the risk, face the council, face Asric... but not with her at his side. It didn’t matter that she had the letter. That she had made this possible. The moment it was done, he took it from her hands. Again.
Her gaze lifted to the shadowed windows above. Somewhere behind them, the council was already assembling, preparing to plot and posture behind their heavy doors and titles. She should be in that room. She needed to be in that room. Surely there would be something, a whisper, a name, a plan, to prove to the resistance that not all hope was lost. That someone within these walls hadn’t forgotten them. She clenched her fists. If they wouldn’t let her, she would find another way.
A rustle stirred the hedges. Mira turned, already tensing, but the flicker of motion resolved into a familiar lean silhouette, half-cast in moonlight.
Ren stepped from the shadows like he’d always belonged to them, a lazy smile curving his lips. “Well,” he said, voice low and teasing, “that was quite the performance.”
Mira narrowed her eyes. “How long were you watching?”
“Long enough,” he drawled, stepping closer.
“You really shouldn’t be lurking in bushes,” she said.
He tilted his head, mock-injured. “Lurking? I was strategically positioned. Watching your back, in case you needed rescuing.”
“I didn’t,” she said, but her voice was softer. He caught that softness. A step closer, his tone dipping just slightly more sincere.
“I know you don't” he paused, “but still, sometimes it's good to know someone is at your back.”
Mira folded her arms, trying to steady herself. “Did you follow me just to offer commentary?”
“No,” Ren said, eyes gleaming, “I followed you because I have something you want" Mira rolled her eyes."I can get you into the council meeting.”
She blinked. “How did you know that’s what I wanted?”
