“When the female form is unwilling, there is damage that can be done. It’s best if—”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Rage ignited in my blood, the beast inside me screaming to claw its way out and rip this entire camp to shreds.
“Many of the women in camp find themselves bleeding after—”
I grabbed Garris by the collar of his shirt, straining it to the point that threads snapped. “If that happens to anyone in this camp, you tell me.” Blood pounded in my ears, almost drowning out his reply.
“Healer-patient confidentiality, I can’t—”
“You can and you will, or the next time you see me I’ll be on four paws, and I’ll be starving,” I threatened, my voice grave and low.
He blinked and gulped, providing the subtlest of nods before I released my hold, his heels slamming back onto the floor.
I’d known it when I’d stormed out of my tent. Known it when I remained on high alert during my walk here. The Dae before a beautiful woman shot an arrow into my leg was gone, and in his place stood the man he should have been all along. The one who would never turn a blind eye to people being hurt and abused.
Suddenly, the balancing act of hiding mine and Ro’s secrets while keeping up my charade became impossible to perform.
I set on crossing the camp until I reached Delia, but Kasia unexpectedly stepped in my path. Ballsy of her to get in my way when I clearly had somewhere to be.
“What.” I grumbled, peering over her head in the direction I should currently be walking.
“Ro’s tent has been set up. Let me show you where, seeing as I can’t find her and you’ve claimed responsibility for her,” she said, her dark brown eyes that matched her ochre skin glimmering with boredom.
“She doesn’t need it.” I growled, moving to step around her, but she blocked me. My irritation soared to new heights. “What are yo—”
“It would be rather suspicious if she didn’t sleep in her assigned quarters, no? One might think she has allegiances that shouldn’t exist.” She flicked her gaze to mine. Her statement was stern, but not entirely threatening. “And that would be very dangerous.”
It was a warning.
I inhaled sharply, not breaking my stare. “It would be.” My jaw clenched together so tightly that my teeth might crack.
She dropped her gaze, returning to her unbothered persona. “Good. I’ll record it once I show you. Follow me.” Without another word, she walked off.
I replayed the conversation in my head as I followed, trying to break down the nuances, to figure out her intent. She had a warrior’s build, one that explained how she could speak with all the confidence in the world to a much larger individual, and leave her back exposed.
We approached the newly set up tent, and she stopped outside of it, staring down at her clipboard. “Standard regulation. Single bed. The rest to be earned and retrieved by herself.” She ticked off her duties. I watched, letting my silence ask the questions.
Without lifting her eyes from her paperwork, she said in a voice so low that no one else should have been able to hear it, “There’s a meeting tonight. Starting now, actually, to accommodate for tomorrow’s assignments. I’ve written it down in my notes here, where anyone might be able to glance at it if they saw over my shoulder.”
“Assignments?” My chest tightened. I’d involved myself in the logistics of food retrieval so I could keep tabs on the convoys that were sent south, so I could communicate through a secret code to warn my brothers if The Order had hints on their whereabouts.
With no further exchange, Kasia departed, flipping through papers like she had more tasks to complete.
Strange. She’d never made more conversation with me than required, but the squeezing concern of a travel party I had no knowledge of had me moving. I did my best not to full-on sprint to the meeting tent. Instead, I walked briskly until stepping inside with all the casual grace I usually possessed.
The air weighed heavier than normal in the small space. Faces glanced up at me, most dismissive. Carmin straightened from her leaning position over the table, crossing her arms.
“I don’t recall summoning you for this.” She cocked her hip to the side.
“Didn’t want to shirk my duties,” I lied, playing the ever submissive member.
“Well we’re doing things a little differently this week. Not quite sure where you’ll serve best. We’re setting up a couple different convoys,” she said, returning her attention to the map.
Another member named Jacko pointed to a red pin on the map, the southernmost town in Windguard. “Basemount. Rumors have been circulating about a few new townsfolk appearing over the past several weeks. We might have forced The Kraanti down there, and now they’re trapped.”
“If that’s them,” Roiden countered, running his leather gloved hands through his waist-length chestnut hair. The cut out holes for his fingers exposed tattoos I wondered might someday be covered by the spreading dark magic running through his veins. That’s probably why most wore a thick streak of kohl across their eyes, to hide how sickly it made them look. “Those slippery bastards could be anywhere,” he continued.
“What’s that?” Carmin asked, nodding to the jar still clutched in my hand.
