Stella’s heart was in her throat as she stared down the arrow pointed at her chest. For the second time in a night, she worried she’d met her end.
The men were too close for her to use magic to counter. The second they felt the flames, they’d loose an arrow, and it would be the same if they felt her nudge at their minds.
“Your Graces,” one of the men said, a wicked smile passing over his face. “What a welcome surprise. I hope you’ll forgive us for not welcoming you sooner, but we needed you to step out of the shadows so we had a better shot.”
Alexandra’s hand lifted to her vest, but Teddy grabbed her wrist.
“You won’t be faster than an arrow,” he whispered. “Be strategic.”
“You should listen to your brother, princess,” one of the rebels said. “You might train like a man, but women do not have the capacity to strategize.”
Stella could practically hear Alexandra’s teeth grinding, but the princess relaxed her hands to her sides.
“Now, if Your Graces would be so kind as to let us escort you. We’re happy to take you in right through the front doors since wealready have the castle,” the other rebel said. “You can drop your weapons here.”
Stella and Alexandra tossed their short swords to the ground. Teddy stepped forward to do the same but paused as a hooded figure darted out of the garden from the left, moving with familiar grace. A second figure moved behind the first like a shadow.
The rebels did not even have time to turn before they were on the ground, one bleeding from his throat, the other with a dagger in his heart.
Stella gasped as one of their saviors shoved down their hood. It was Juliana Savero. The skirt of her red dress was shredded, but her hair was still somehow perfectly styled.
“Honestly, Jay, must I do everything myself?” Juliana said as she bent to pull her dagger from the rebel’s body.
Jalen grinned as he shoved his hood back. “You had it in hand and it’s good for you to get those perfectly manicured hands dirty from time to time.”
“You two are supposed to be inside,” Alexandra said.
“We were tired of waiting. You’re so slow,” Juliana said.
Stella grabbed her short swords and sheathed them at her hips, stepping back to allow the siblings their reunion. The Saveros had always been a unit she had orbited, and here she was again, watching them hug while she stood awkwardly off to the side.
Teddy noticed her watching and dragged her in, and to Stella’s surprise, Jalen, Alexandra, and Juliana hugged her just as tightly.
“Thanks for not killing our brother when he was being a moron,” Jalen said.
Teddy sighed. “I was not being a moron, I was thinking of?—”
“YourMinyha,” Jalen taunted. “Yes, we know. Spare us the sentimental declaration of love. We have to get inside.” He pulled back and patted Stella on the shoulder. “Now show us this passage.”
Stella rushed over to the grate and heaved it open, laying it on the ground as gently as she did when she’d been sneaking in to meet Arden.
They funneled down into the dark corridor quietly and Stellasnapped her finger, sparking a flame to light their way. She smiled at the quiet bickering of the siblings as she started to walk down the narrow tunnel.
The journey was short, but it felt like it took an eternity to get to the end of the passage.
“Where does this come out?” Alexandra asked.
“The kitchens,” Stella said. She walked up the steps, paused outside the wooden door, and listened for movement on the other side.
She’d done this so many times before, but her heart was beating so loudly in her ears that she could barely hear anything else. When she was certain it was clear, she pulled the door toward her and ducked under the shelf into the pantry. Teddy was close behind her as she paused again with her ear against the door to the kitchen.
His hand came to her waist, and the bond in her chest pulsed with warmth.
After a few moments of silence, Stella cracked the door open.
Instantly, the knob was yanked from her hand and someone dragged her from the pantry. Stella was shoved, stumbling, into the center of the kitchen by one of the rebel fighters.
Teddy grabbed the man’s shoulder, but stopped when he saw that a second rebel had a blade to Stella’s throat. There were at least twenty men in the room and they had every exit but the window covered. With her eyes, Stella pleaded with Teddy not to fight.
