Page 88 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
“Trust me, there would have been a million simpler ways to do it, all easier than the marriage options I had. Elysia, one of my Blood Brotherhood Sisters, was getting ready to petition the Senate of Sages to protect her laboratory. She still doesn’t understand why she hasn’t heard The Calling yet,” he said. “She’s dreading the ritual, though.”
The sensation turned icy. “Whatritual?”
“To one created to see if our bodies can withstand the power we are to inherit.”
“You can die?”
“Some do. They bleed out on the sacred stones. Elysia won’t, she’s too stubborn to perish like that.”
“And you?”
“My body has withstood too much to fail me now. But I can’t predict when The Calling will come for me, so I have to take precautions, especially since I’m leaving in the morning.”
A strange, hollow feeling settled at the base of my spine. “Where?”
“More Serpents have been spotted near our borders. I’m leading my Brotherhood Elite warriors and the army there to make them regret it. Before I go, I have something for you.” He nodded at the package. “Open it.”
With unsteady fingers, I pulled the silk bounds to the side to reveal an armor just like his. Black leather, with bands of blood vials criss-crossing the chest and winding down the arms.
“In case you sneak out again before I come back,” he muttered from right behind me. His hot breath ghosted across the nape of my neck.
“Thank you.” I glided my palm over it. The leather was smooth, like it hadn’t come from a mortal being. My nails clinked across the vials. “Whose blood is this?”
“Mine.”
I turned to him, surprised. He was so close, his minty, woodsy scent intoxicating. “You bled to protect me?”
That was…irrationally generous. Blood was sacred to his Clan. An heir’s blood much more so, I’d imagine.
Kaya’s words from that first day rippled through my thoughts.
Now he will protect you too.
“I have a feeling it won’t be the last time.” The grin vanished from his face. “Promise me you won’t leave Phoenix Peak until I’m back. Or until you discover who wants to kill you, whichever comes first.”
“You won’t be gone that long.” My fingers flexed, wanting to reach out for him.
“You might be quicker with your research and find your clues before I’m back. Sometimes the answers are right in front of us.” He nodded at the mountain of books on the table. “Be weary of the guards. Not all of them want the best for you.”
“No, they’re too busy spreading rumors about me.”
“They answer to another master.” His penetrating gaze rooted me to the spot. “Ask Goose to make you a concoction of lavender, cinnamon, and moonbeam fern, and dab it on your shoes and cloak. It will help to hide your scent if the guards ever try a tracking spell, in case you truly need to evade them.”
“Ah, a man who honors his deals,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, even as a knot settled in my chest. How much things had changed in the last few weeks. I’d been frightened to breathe the same air as him at first, and now I was fretting over him leaving.
He would come back. He had to.
“It’s only fair, you’ve kept your end of the bargain.” He took a step back, tensing his shoulders. “Let’s test your lessons.”
“You want to train now?” I huffed a startled laugh.
“Indulge a potentially dying man’s last wish.”
The tightness in my chest grew. “Don’t even joke about that.”
“I won’t even use myunbelievable speed.” He chuckled low in his throat.
I saw the laughter and the glimmer in his eyes for what it was–an invitation to detach from the rest of the world, even for a moment. To play and keep whatever this tenuous truce between us was.
