Page 26 of Mistake of Magic
“River,” Coal called over the wall.
With a final deep breath, River straightened himself, summoning the calm mask that his father’s upbringing had taught him to wear. By the time he’d scaled the wall and come down on the other side, he was as certain that no one could read his thoughts as he was of the hate in Leralynn’s eyes—red and irritated from the sand.
River glanced at Coal, whose face revealed nothing, and felt another stab of pain. Coal could do it. He could put Leralynn through violence and hell and leave her better, stronger, more trusting. River, it seemed, could only break and destroy. When she went into the arena next, would she even remember her own strength? Or only his antics?
“I’m going ahead,” River said, skirting around Leralynn and Coal to beat the two to the suite. Now was about undoing the damage he’d just done—and the last thing Leralynn needed was more time in River’s company.
“Shade!” River called as he banged open the door, relief flooding his senses when the wolf appeared. With his tail down and nose close to the ground, Shade looked very much like how River felt. River sighed. “Could you shift, please? I’ve no intention of discussing the mating just now.”
The wolf hopped up on the couch, laid his fuzzy head on his paws, and blinked yellow eyes at River.
“Please?” River said through clenched teeth. “Leralynn is a few steps behind me. It... it was a rough training day.”
That got Shade’s attention. A growl escaped from deep within the wolf’s chest as he hopped down to the floor and circled.
Good enough. “Take care of her when she comes,” River said, heading to his own room. “I’ll keep out of your way for as long as necessary.”
A flash of light blinded River in the next moment. “Wait,” Shade said, now in fae form. He rolled his shoulders, the muscles coiled so hard that a fine tremor raced over his skin. “Is her life in danger?”
“If you mean at this moment, then no—she is more sore than injured. If you mean later, in the arena, when she needs to use the magic I can’t pull out of her, then yes.” River made himself say each word. “She could use a friend just now, though.”
“She has a friend,” Shade said, blocking River’s path. “I’m looking at him.”
River’s nostrils flared. “Did you not hear me? Leralynn is hurt, and I’m the one who bloody hurt her.”
“Then you should be the one to bloody fix it.” Shade’s words were ragged, each a struggle against his instincts.
“I don’t know how to fix it,” River hissed.
Shade flinched as the door opened behind River to admit the girl and Coal. River didn’t need to turn to know how red the girl’s eyes were, how she leaned on Coal when she walked. Shade’s breathing grew harsh, his heart racing so fast that River could hear it. “You are hers as much as I am,” the wolf shifter murmured nonetheless, as Leralynn headed right for her bedchamber. “And you can fix your own messes.”
A flash of panic seized River’s chest. The bloody male was serious. He was going to leave. “Shade—”
“I’m meeting Tye for lunch early,” Shade said, stepping away. “I don’t imagine we’ll see you at the dining hall.” Before River could protest, a flash of light had Shade shifting into his wolf and loping out the door as quickly as his powerful legs could carry him.
Turning slowly, River faced the last being left in the common room and debated whether enlisting Coal’s help might still be possible.
Coal cocked a brow.
Right. River might as well find a sclice and ask the Mors rodent for advice. “Excuse me,” he said, and squaring his shoulders, he headed to Leralynn’s bedchamber.
Only to stop outside her closed door, his limbs suddenly numb.
Stars.River had gone into battle without his heart racing as quickly as it did now. His hands were clammy against the doorframe. His knuckles rose to knock, then fell to the door handle instead. There seemed little point in requesting permission—River already knew he wasn’t welcome. Drawing his last fortifying breath, he opened the door and stepped into the room.
Leralynn stood with her back to him, the sunlight slanting through the window silhouetting her curves. Her boots and pants lay in a sandy pile on the floor, the long tunic of her uniform reaching just below the mounds of her backside. He realized he’d never seen her pale, smoothly muscled legs before, and his mouth went dry. Her arms, already braced to pull off the garment froze in mid-motion.
“If you are looking for more sand to throw at me, it’s on the floor,” Leralynn said, pulling her shirt off and reaching for the washbasin beside her. Red, sand-scraped patches covered her back and arms, now bare but for thin undershorts and a chest band. A long, thin cut wound along the groove of her spine and circled like a tail along her lower back.
River’s chest squeezed painfully. He’d done this to her.
Striding up behind her, River dipped a small towel into the washbasin. “I’m not apologizing,” he said, dabbing the moist cloth carefully against the first of the scrapes. Leralynn flinched and River’s left hand braced her abdomen reflexively, his fingers spreading wide over her smooth stomach. Her skin warmed under his hand, the muscles clenching as he dabbed the cuts, no matter how gentle he tried to be. Stars, she was small. Especially now, standing disrobed with her back to him, the top of her auburn head barely brushing his collarbone. River’s palm alone covered most of the girl’s torso.
“Thank you for clearing that up,” said Leralynn. “For efficiency’s sake, I suggest we skip the so-called instruction tomorrow and move directly to dragging me along the ground.”
“If I thought it would help, I would do so in a heartbeat.” He pressed the wet cloth against a raw patch of skin on her shoulder blade, biting the inside of his lip when she flinched. The fingers of his bracing hand traced tiny circles on her abdomen, a feeble attempt to distract the girl’s mind from the sting. Breathing in slowly, River savored her lilac scent, now mixed with sweat, soreness, and musky stubbornness. “There are very few things I wouldn’t do if I thought they’d help you walk out of the Citadel alive.”
“As noble as that sounds, the gap between what you think would help and what wouldactuallyhelp is wide enough for a school of piranhas to slither through.” Leralynn finally turned her head far enough to meet River’s gaze. Her eyes still watered from the sand, the lids red and puffy beneath impossibly long lashes. “Why are you here, exactly?”
