Page 113 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Ellie arched a brow. "Don’thuhme. You and Gray have obviously made up."
Kallie’s cheeks flamed red. "What’s your point?"
"I would like to know if I need to sleep with a knife under my pillow or not," Ellie said, sending a lethal glare in Moris’ direction.
Moris groaned, his wings ruffling behind him. "I already said?—"
"No, no," Ellie interrupted, holding up a hand in protest. "You said you were a danger to those around you. If you snap or have some silly little nightmare and freak out, I will not hold your hand and rub your back."
"I wouldn’t ask you to hold my hand," Moris said with a roll of his eyes.
Kallie rubbed her hands across her face. "He and Graeson will share a room, all right?"
"It’s really no big deal," Ellie said. "I get it if you want some privacy with him."
"We’re just…." Kallie swallowed, unsure what the end of that statement was.
"Ah," Ellie said with a nod. "You two still haven’t talked about the soul bond thing, huh?"
"He finally told you?" Moris asked, eyes wide. "Thank the gods! That man has been moping around ever since I’ve known him. He was practically unbearable when we were traveling together. The little love sick?—"
"Not helping," Kallie said, cutting him off. She leaned back in her chair and groaned. She massaged the growing headache, rubbing her fingers against her temples. "We haven’t had the time to talk about it."
"It’s because he can shift into a dragon, isn’t it?" Moris asked, leaning his weight against his arms. "Kind of intimidating, no?"
"That’s not—that doesn’t matter."
Ellie scooted back in her chair. Standing, she pressed her palms onto the table. "Now might not seem like a good time either, but it might be your only chance. We’re here for a few days, right?"
"Only chance for what?" Graeson asked from the door, a stack of medicine supplies resting in his arms.
Kallie glanced from him to the others. Moris and Ellie shared similar expressions: raised brows, pursed lips, amused glints intheir eyes. But Kallie couldn’t do it. Not in front of them. Not right now.
"For a decent bath," she blurted.
Ellie dropped her head and sighed.
Chapter 45
MYRA
A riverof mud flooded the lower streets of the Frenzian capital as a storm rolled in. Myra tightened her cloak, pulling the hood down to shield her face from the pelting rain. The dirt pathway was slick, but they had no time to spare. They pressed on.
As they made their way closer to the castle, they spotted more guards patrolling the streets. And it seemed they were not the only ones who did not want to attract the guards’ attention. Most of the pedestrians who were out also kept their heads down as they passed the guards.
Myra hurried after Laurince, determined to keep up with his quick pace. As the clopping of hooves sounded behind them, Laurince pressed her against the wall with his arm. She tried to shove him off, but he only tightened his hold.
"Don’t move," he ordered.
Carefully, Myra peered around him and sucked in a sharp breath. She flattened herself against the wall as much as she could when a horse-drawn carriage came her way. The width of the wagon was just small enough to fit through the narrowstreet, but wide enough to leave little room for anything else. She swallowed as the carriage crept forward.
The driver snapped the whip beside one horse’s ears. Instantly, the horses sped up, the carriage rattling over the stones behind them.
Myra squeezed her eyes shut as the horses darted past them. Hooves slapped against the puddles marring the streets, splashing water onto her cloak. Air whipped across face, and she made the wrong choice to open her eyes just as the carriage was less than a foot away from her face.
"Assholes," Laurince mumbled as the carriage passed. "They’re not supposed to be down this road."
They peeled themselves away from the wall. Myra pressed a hand to her chest as she took in her first full breath.
