Page 35 of Between Life and Death

“Ah-ha! There it is.” She smiled victoriously at me then patted my arm before she let me go. “Would you grant an old woman a boon?”

I eyed her suspiciously, not sure where this was going.

She clasped her hands together, tucking them just beneath her chin. “When your belly is swollen with his pup, come back and visit me. I do enjoy a good love story. And with the current state of things, the Creator knows we all need one.”

I blinked, dumbfounded by her brashness. Quickly, I walked away from her, my long legs too fast for her to keep up.

She was nuts—the Ezra kind, probably a relative. I could find out by asking her stance on rocks, although I had a feeling I already knew. I patted my cloak’s pocket, Ezra’s rock still there—miraculously. I was surprised it had not fallen out by now, especially with all the jostling from riding.

A shadow fell over me, blotting out the light of the moon. Von peered down at me, a hawk surveying its prey.

“Why do you do that?” I asked, our horses falling into step with one another.

Something akin to a smile tugged at his mouth. “Do what?” He knew full well what I meant.

“Look at me like you are sizing up your next meal.”

The words sounded even worse once they escaped my mouth.

He tilted his head in that superior-than-thou way, the glint of his sharp canines flashing as he spoke. “Perhaps, Little Goddess, I am.”

“You are insufferable,” I huffed.

“And you are divine,” he purred.

As we reached the east side of the city, the tents and vendors faded, leaving streets bordered with taverns and inns and the odd brothel house. Even this side of town was packed with people, a continuation of that slightly chaotic thrum. The only difference? The scrambling mice were drunk on this side.

Ryker led us to an inn in an older building consisting of three floors. But despite its age, it was well cared for and still possessed a particular charm.

I grinned as I tethered Lightning’s reins to the hitching post, imagining the hot meal that awaited me inside and the soft bed, void of a foundation of sharp, pokey rocks.

There was one more ingredient to my smile—we would reach our destination tomorrow.

Belamour hooked my breath the second I saw it—a city of color nestled in the gentle embrace of rolling hills. Stores with large, stained-glass windows bordered wide, brick roads. The people here wore finely tailored clothes, the fabrics dyed in lush, rich colors—colors I had never seen before. It was like opening a velvet sack and finding handfuls of sparkling gemstones inside—emeralds and rubies and sapphires.

The Jewel of Edenvale—that’s what they called it.

I could see why.

It took a while for us to get through the downtown core of Belamour. I may have dawdled a bit, my eyes wide as I breathed all of it in.

Soren’s voice caught me off guard. “Well, here is our home for the next little while.”

I took in the gothic manor that stood ever so proudly before me. It dwarfed the rich homes leading up to it. It looked like it had come from an entirely different era—the architecture boasting in grandeur.

We led our horses through the towering black-iron gates, up the winding path.

“Who owns this?” I asked Soren, gawking at the grand entrance—specifically the door. It was stupidly large. I wondered what type of tree they used to make such a massive slab—a century-old oak, perhaps?

“The Cursed rebels own it. The title is buried under a dead commoner’s name, so the Crown has no idea it actually belongs to us,” Soren answered as he, too, surveyed the large door.

Von looked like he was tempted to roll his eyes, but he stroked his beast’s silken mane instead.

“The Cursed rebels own a variety of properties throughout Edenvale,” Harper added as she and Lyra started to unstrap their traveling bags from the chestnut mare.

I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that the properties were owned by the Cursed rebels and the king had no idea. In a way, I was beginning to understand that hope Ezra had referred to—could understand why she had devoted her life to this cause.

In some moments, I could see myself doing the same—anything to fuck with the king.

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