“We don’t have the luxury of waiting around for her to heal.” The words sound as though they’re being delivered through gritted teeth. When I shift, standing beside Eres, Nythen throws his hands up. “Perfect.”
“We have a Council quorum,” I point out. “There are four of us here. We can vote.”
And Nythen needs a majority, which means at least three votes. He glowers at me. “Fine.Motion to take charge of the prisoner for immediate questioning relating to Lightbringer activity.”
“No,” Eres mutters.
To my surprise, Valcor shakes his head. He keeps his gaze averted from the girl. “Let the healer work on her first. It might yield more.”
There it is.
When they turn to me, I shrug. “I agree with Valcor. We want useful intel, not the slurred words of a dying soldier.”
When Nythen steps forward, his eyes narrowed, I step in front of Eres. My hand raises, my response quiet. “We voted. It’s done. Remember you’re not the only one on the Council who can gather information, Nythen.”
And my methods are far less painful.
His lip curls back. “As if we could trust you to be truthful.”
I hold his gaze. “I could say the same of you.”
For a moment, I wonder if it might come to a fight. Darkness collects around him, as if he’s calling his erevas, before he turns, giving me his back. “This isn’t finished. We’ll see what Kaelen has to say about it.”
Eres moves around me as Nythen stalks off, undoubtedly to hunt Kaelen down and chew his ear off about us outvoting him. I head after Eres. “Wait.”
I try not to think about Kaelen’s reaction to this.
He doesn’t stop. “She’s close to hypothermic. Her body temperature is still too low.”
“What do we do?”
He ducks through the open doorway that leads into the hall. The chamber branches off into various hallways that wind through the castle, and he heads for the middle path which leads to the Council’s private chambers. “Come with me. I’ll need your help.”
“You’re not taking her to the healer's quarters?”
Eres shakes his head as we turn the corner. “Not for this. You’ll see why. And there are too many eyes there for now.”
He kicks the door open to his private rooms. Stepping in after him, I watch as he settles the Lightbringer down on his bed, ripping the cloak away and tossing it to the floor. She’s taller than she looked in his arms.
And then… I blink. Several times. “Er, Eres—”
“Help me,” he snaps without looking up. Hastily, I avert my eyes as he uses a knife to tear away what remains of her torn, sodden dress. “This is no time to be bashful, Dare. She’s freezing, and this dress is soaked through.”
“I’m not entirely sure what you want me to do—”
“Body heat,” he forces out.
I keep my eyes away from the bed as I edge closer. “Come again?”
Fucking hell. Nowhe’sstripping off, and I have no idea where to look. I settle for the ceiling, but not before I catch a glimpse of pale, shadow-streaked flesh as he yanks his trousers down. “Have you never heard of underwear? Wonderful invention.”
My voice sounds amused, but I feel anything but. “I should go.”
A drawer slams in the corner of my vision, and then he’s in front of me, tugging on a pair of linen pants. “She’s going to die if she doesn’t warm up.”
That captures my attention. My eyes lower. Eres studies me, and I wonder if I imagine the hint of color in his face before he turns away. “We need to keep her warm.”
Oh, no—
