Page 96 of Amidst the Insidious Courts
Watching his eye socket swell makes me a little nauseous, so I try to focus on something else. Only my eyes inevitably land on the blue abs peeking out of the water. Yanking my eyes away from the waterline is more difficult than it should be, and my mind drifts back to that night in Fellgotha.
The night before he broke my trust. I turn away.
“Fuck,” Caed growls, then freezes.
“Of course,” Titania tuts, derision dripping from her tone. “That’s the first word you come up with for your new tongue.”
His lips press together in a mulish line, and he offers her a glare that causes my own brow to crease.
“She’s healing you. Don’t be rude.”
“You’re healing him,” Titania corrects. “I’m not alive, dear heart. I cannot act alone.” She steps back, releasing my shoulder. “He’s fine. The rest will heal on its own with sleep. Now, release and ground the power.”
Biting my lip, I do as she says, and Caed’s brows shoot up at the sudden rush of magic. “You’ve gotten better at that.”
“It’s easier to learn when I’m not shackled in iron.”
Our eyes clash again, his nostrils flaring before he drops the contact. “Why did you come?”
My thoughts flash back to Jaro—to the horror of wolf teeth flashing in my face—and I flinch. WhydidI come?
Because I failed one Guard? Because I felt guilty for my fever being indirectly responsible for his landing in the dungeon in the first place? Because I was worried about him?
“Why did you walk away when you saw me ride into the city?” I counter.
Prae coughs and sidles past me, followed quickly by Titania. We’re alone, but I barely notice.
His eyes flash, but it’s hidden a second later. “I was hoping to get some last-minute shopping done before I barged into a heavily guarded temple and demanded you fuck me.”
His lie coats the back of my tongue with an astringent bitterness that I have to swallow to clear.
“I don’t know why I came.” I turn. “But I meant it. I’m not staying. Have a nice life—”
“Wait.”
I hesitate, glancing back before I can stop myself. He’s half out of the water, clinging to the side of the bath with both hands. The tattoo that covers his left arm looks bolder now, but perhaps that’s because the iron bands are no longer there to disguise it. I frown as I notice the third frame already contains a faint smudge of ink, but I can’t determine the shape past all the bruising.
“You sent the redcap to rescue me,” Caed says, shifting so I can no longer see the mark.
I swallow. “We couldn’t have you draining me and… Danu dislikes having my Guard imprisoned.”
“Just Danu?” He raises one brow, a trademark cocky smirk reappearing.
“I—I’m not answering that.”
A long pause. “Prae was right. We’ve decided—I’ve decided—to switch sides. If you’ll have us.”
A tiny fissure opens up in my chest, and my hand reaches up to staunch the ache before I can stop it. “Caed…”
“I’m good with weapons. I know I can prove myself.”
“Caed, I—”
“They’ll listen to you if you just tell them to let me accompany you. I can glamour myself. No one else will know who I am—as long as the púca can refrain from trying to crush me to death again. You need the help. I heard things in that dungeon—it’s not just my father you have to worry about.”
I open my mouth, then close it again, and he takes that as a sign to continue pushing. “I fucked up in Fellgotha. I tried to make it right in the tunnels, though. I’m on your side now. I can prove it if you just—”
“No.” I stop him with a single word, taking a step back. “No. I can’t trust you.”
