Page 145 of Wings of Lies
“No. You?”
“I don’t think he’d be able to reach me with the Binding Rune.”
“You’re probably right,” he said, his eyes drilling into Aspen's back as if the option to stab him was still under consideration.
“You want to ask him about your sister, don’t you?”
“It crossed my mind a few dozen times. But the princeling seems quite put off. I doubt I’d get anything from the bastard.”
He wasn’t wrong. A brooding cloud of anger swallowed Aspen. Between his tight shoulders and the dark red light casting a vile halo beneath his chin, it didn’t matter his steps were soundless; someone could feel him coming a mile away. I was glad we walked behind him, and I pitied the person who stumbled into his path.
We sloshed across the shallow river, Oliver holding my elbow to steady me and Aspen on the edge of the bank, watching our steps with guarded eyes. Once we reached him, he turned his back and stepped through the barrier. We followed, stepping into the field of metallic gold grass, back into The Divide.
“So which way to Magda’s?”
Aspen stopped. “We arenotgoing to Magda’s.”
“When we need the input from our princely prisoner, we’ll ask. Otherwise, best to keep your thoughts to yourself,” Oliver chirped back.
The muscle in Aspen’s jaw pulsed as he strode back to us and pushed into my space. “I said no. She’s dangerous.”
“More dangerous than Lilith?”
He grimaced as the rune flickered to red but didn’t go out. Confusion furrowed his brows before the rune reverted to black and shifted his frown to an expression of displeasure. “My queen will be the only one to claim you.” His arms jerked up, attempting to encircle me with his cuffs, only to freeze when Oliver pressed the tip of his knife against Aspen’s neck.
“Lucywill behadby nobody. I think she’s had enough cages to last her the rest of her life.”
I agreed, gesturing forward, glaring into a face I barely recognized. “How about you return to your useful spot up there and lead us to where we want to go.”
Flickers of his rage and panic intruded on my mind. “I can’t—” He clenched his teeth, forcing out words, and the rune pulsed between black, red, and skin. “Protect—you,” he gasped out.
Immediately, I placed my thumb on his rune, hoping to help him. The same agonizing pain shot up my arm, making me whimper. My Aspen, the one that peaked through for a moment, wrenched his face out of my grasp to save me from the pain.
“Don’t touch me.”
I couldn’t tell which Aspen spoke. The one who stared at me with scorn, thinking I was an object to be used or the one who wanted to murder the queen’s army after finding me malnourished andbruised. But from the emptiness I felt from him, I assumed it wasn’t my Aspen.
It hurt to look at him while he was like this. I didn’t know what to say or do.
“Start heading to the Damatha Forest, princeling, and leave protection duty to me, seeing as you’re looking at her like she’s a thing again,” Oliver said, keeping the knife between us and him.
Surprisingly, Aspen complied after looking Oliver up and down and sneering. He jangled his way through the golden field, heading towards the trees, as I stared at his back, feeling hopeless.
Oliver lightly placed a finger under my chin and turned me to face him. Blonde and black wisps of hair tickled his light eyelashes, bordering his intense gaze. I swallowed.
“I know we agreed to go there. But in all seriousness, if the prince is right and it’s too dangerous, we leave and wait for the king to contact us.” I didn’t know what to think about this Oliver—fierce and somber, holding me under his penetrating gaze. “Because he’d probably freeze my balls off if I let anything happen to you. So, let’s try and keep out of danger if we can.” He wrapped his arm around my neck and gave me a noogie, like an annoying older brother.
I laughed and batted him away, then gasped. “Shit.”
“Might as well get used to it, Luce. If you broke your ribs, you got a while with that pain without your fast healing. Unless we can find someone to remove your rune.”
I sighed. “I hope we can find someone then.”
“And I’ll hope for a bowl of stew and the chance to stab the princeling. One’s more likely than the other.”
Looking up, Aspen stood waiting for us in the distance, watching our exchange with narrowed eyes.
“You know he might’ve been good once. Before she brainwashed him.”
