Amryn froze, butter knife suspended above her slice of bread. “What complications?”
He dropped the rest of his bread onto his plate. “You and Samuel will both need to be interviewed by Morelli and Keats so they can learn everything you know about the Rising. Your interview will be tomorrow afternoon.”
Her heart started to pound. “But . . . I thought we’d leave after the emperor’s meeting.”
A weary sort of resolve settled inside him. “We’re going to have to stay another day.”
Panic flared, hot and fast. “We can’t. The knights are on their way.”
Carver dragged a hand over the back of his neck as he released a slow breath. “I know, but—”
“You promised me we wouldn’t linger in Zagrev,” she cut in.
“I know,” he repeated, more firmly than before. “But I also promised to keep you safe, and I can’t do that if we leave right now. It would raise too many questions if we missed these meetings. Just . . . give me another day at least.” She felt the edge of his frustration. She just wasn’t sure if it was directed at her, or their situation.
Amryn’s gut rolled. She set down her bread and the butter knife, her hands trembling slightly. Her throat was painfully dry as she said, “I can’t spend another day here. We have to leave tomorrow.”
“I need at least that long to make the necessary arrangements and excuses,” Carver said. He met her stare, his blue eyes intense. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
“You won’t be able to keep that promise. Not against the emperor. Or the knights.”
Carver’s expression tightened. “I promised I would keep you safe, and I will. I swear to you, we’ll leave before the knights get here. I know you’re afraid, but—”
“Youdon’tknow.”
He drew back.
She could feel his shock at her harsh tone, but she couldn’t focus on that. A fine tremor skated through her voice as she said, “You don’t know what it’s like to live with this terror. To spend every moment of your life afraid, wondering if you will do something that reveals your secret. To constantly wonder where betrayal will come from, because you know it will come from someone eventually.”
“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what that’s like. And I hate that you do. But I would never betray you, Amryn.”
My own father betrayed me.
He didn’t know that, of course. She hadn’t told him. And she couldn’t imagine doing so now, when jagged emotions tangled in her throat already. But she needed him to understand why she couldn’t remain here. “I told you my mother was murdered,” she said, fingers knotting in her skirt. “That she was killed in front of me.”
Tension filled him. “The night Tiras saved you.”
“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “But what I didn’t tell you was that my mother was killed by knights.”
Carver stilled. His emotions flashed rapidly—shock, horror, sympathy, dread.
Amryn’s very breaths felt fragile. “They tried to kill me, too,” she whispered. She still saw their crimson uniforms in her nightmares. Their hate-filled expressions. Tears burned in her eyes. “I can’t stay here, Carver. Please understand.”
Carver stood, rounding the table in long strides. He crouched beside her chair, gently wrapping a large hand around both of hers. She was still fisting her skirt, she realized. Holding it so hard, her knuckles were white. “I’m sorry, Amryn,” he said, his voice low and threaded with sorrow. “Saints, sweetheart, I can’t . . . I don’t even know what to say.” His free hand lifted to palm her cheek, his thumb brushing featherlight across her skin. His throat flexed as he swallowed, his eyes filled with grief. “I’m so sorry.”
“Please don’t make me stay here,” she whispered, hating the way her voice cracked.
Torment ripped through him, tensing his features. “Just give me one day. One day to settle everything so we can leave without drawing any suspicion.”
“What if the emperor won’t let us go?”
“Then we’ll leave anyway.” His fingers curled more tightly around hers. “I give you my word.”
She stared at him, her heart still beating too fast, her palms damp. It was difficult to think clearly when fear clouded her mind, but . . . rationally, she knew Carver was right. If they fled now, or even at first light, the suspicion that might fall on them could be disastrous. It could be all it took to make Zacharias point a finger at her instead of Sadia.
She could feel how torn Carver was. His need to protect her warred with his need to fulfill his responsibilities. He was the emperor’s favored general, after all. Amryn knew it must be difficult for him to even consider leaving the capital when there was so much chaos to untangle. Argent was gone, Esperance had failed, and the Rising remained an active threat. Carver’s loyalty was being tested, and Amryn knew what it cost him to put her first.
Amryn held his gaze, her voice hoarse as she whispered, “One day. But please don’t ask for more.”
