Page 17 of Compass Points
“Suden aren’t overly affectionate people, but we are…possessive,” he finished smoothly. Her body warmed at something in his tone. “That alone should give us the protection that you require.” He continued, “None of the Compass Points would dare to interfere in my relationship.”
“Fine,” she said.
She was exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically. And this was just getting started.
She couldn’t believe she’d been at the market this morning, as usual, selling her weapons and getting ready for another lesson with Tara. Her heart sank, thinking of how far from that she’d come. Would she find a way to save Tara? Could the mist plague be reversed? Or could it only be prevented?
She didn’t know any of the answers and found herself unwilling to ask the Suden Point any more questions.
The Suden Point may be many things—unfortunately, handsome was one—but he was not her ally. She couldn’t trust him, especially not with her secrets. She could barely believe she was at the point where she thought letting him take her to Compass Lake was a good option.
She reminded herself that Tara needed this. Tara needed her, and no one else would fight for her.
Rose knew that feeling in the pit of her stomach. That feeling when you were in trouble, but the only one you could count on for help was yourself. She wanted that to be different for Tara. She didn’t want the younger girl to feel the same weight Rose carried from childhood.
Rose was a part of this now, whether she wanted to be or not.
She had to use whatever means necessary to get through the interactions at Compass Lake. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Luc’s offer was good for that alone. He was right. The Compass Points would have no claim over one romantically involved with the Suden Point. She’d be protected in a way that she couldn’t otherwise expect. He was offering her a lot and asking for very little in return.
Why had he chosen this path? Were the Compass Points that desperate?
It wasn’t the Compass Points, though, was it? By bringing her in this way, Luc also guaranteed that her skills would only benefit the Suden if she decided to make weapons. He would be the only Compass Point who knew about her abilities and their value to fighting the mist. She didn’t think highly of the Compass Points, but it was uncommon for them to operate in such secrecy from each other on such a largescale threat.
She knew they were a mess but hadn’t realized it was this bad.
While many blamed the Suden Point for the plague since villages dedicated to their patron god, Aterra, seemed to be the least impacted, it made no difference when the mist crept through a village. The mist took everyone, Norden, Suden, Osten, Vesten, and human. That alone should be motivation to pool fae resources on finding a solution.
If the Suden Point operated in such isolation, something else was wrong.
Chapter Ten
“Rose…Rose, wake up!”Even as she rolled over on the hard ground, her nose chilled in the morning air. She felt victorious, knowing she’d been right; Arie would find them whether she wanted him to or not.
“What do you want, Arie? I’m not awake yet.”
“Well, let’s change that, shall we?”He sat as a large black bird on her stomach, poking at her with his wing. He had all the energy of a five-year-old on the winter solstice. There seemed to be no stopping this wake-up call.
She sat up and looked around. She’d slept later than she thought, though that made sense given everything that happened yesterday. Luc’s bedroll was on the opposite side of the fire, giving her plenty of appreciated space.
Her stirring woke him, and their eyes met. She ran her gaze over his face as last night’s conversation returned to her. It was simple to get lost in the depths of his dark brown eyes when they were so solely focused on her. He ran his fingers through thick hair, pushing that pesky piece back from his face as she finished her perusal.
They were to pretend to be in a romantic relationship for the foreseeable future. She could do this.
Though she had never been in a publicly scrutinized relationship before. Any relationships from the last few years had been more of a convenience. It got lonely with only Arie on the island, and sometimes she craved personal interaction and physical touch. But none of them were particularly real. She couldn’t bring them to the island. She couldn’t show them her work. She couldn’t truly trust any of them with her whole self.
Arie continued to chatter about how he’d been able to track them down yesterday and spent time in the next village a day’s ride south. Time and place never seemed to have a bearing on Arie. He could show up wherever he wanted in whatever form he wanted.
She’d lost herself in this most recent thread when she heard him say,“They were talking all about it, that there were two survivors from this attack of the plague of mist.”
“Wait, what?” she exclaimed, getting Luc’s attention.
“What is it?” he asked, glancing toward the bird perched on her stomach.
“The next village knows there were survivors of the mist attack?” she asked Arie. “How?”
Luc’s eyes widened in surprise.
“They were talking about it already this morning. Some trader planning to stop at Bury saw you two stumbling out of the mist-covered village. No one has seen someone leave a village once it’s been taken.”
