Will wasn’t often one for apologies; he found them to be lacking for the most part. Empty words and belated sentiment that did little to change the reality of things. But he could, now and again, be a man who showed his regret through action.
He would not allow Desperation to render him foolish any longer. He would not allow his penchant for self-destruction to be the death of his friends.
If he wanted to save Aya, he needed help. He needed people he couldtrust, especially in the moments he couldn’t trust himself.
He did not trust Dauphine. But he trusted Aidon.
Aidon stared at Dauphine for a long moment, his eyes narrowed in careful assessment.
“I think we need a way into Kakos, and we have no better options,” Aidon answered after a long moment. His arms folded over his chest as he continued to consider Dauphine, his body subtly angling away from her.
Will didn’t miss the way her face lost some of its gleeful light in the wake of Aidon’s clear distrust. But he blinked, and that slight indication of hurt was gone. Dauphine set her shoulders back and tossed her long hair, messily tied back in a strap of leather, over her shoulder.
“Not Kakos, actually,” she informed them.
Liam took a step forward, Azul loosening a growl as he sensed his bonded’s unease. “What?” the Persi asked sharply.
Akeeta pressed harder against Will’s leg, keeping him steady, still.
“The Midlands army is planning to retake Sitya,” Dauphine explained. Her gaze was bright as it settled on Will. “Rumor has it, your saint could be in attendance.”
Will’s breath caught somewhere in the middle of his chest,trapped between the rapid beats of his heart.
Dauphine cocked her head at Will, a single brow rising. “Still want to kill me, Enforcer?”
36
It was deceptively simple to steal a City Guard uniform. Or at least, that’s how it had appeared to Josie when she’d made the request of Natali only to find one folded on her bed in the Maraciana less than a day later.
Seven hells, the Saj of the Maraciana were truly given an absurd amount of leeway in this city. Not that she was complaining. It certainly benefited her.
Josie pulled the collar of the uniform higher around her face as she darted through the evening crowd eager to unwind after a long day in the Old Town. The shift change for the guard was just about to take place, making it the perfect time to slip through the city undetected.
Natali had informed her Avis had been spreading the news of her disappearance.
The Coward Princess, he’d apparently called her. The name hardly held any weight with her. Her people could assume she’d fled for now; the fewer people scanning the streets for her, the better.
Dusk painted the sky in rich purples and orange, and between the soft light and the busy streets, Josie made her way past the bustling restaurants and bars and into the neighboringresidential section undetected. She crossed through a small plaza, the laughter of children running around the small fountain in the center a soothing balm to her nerves. The parents were too engrossed in conversation to spare her more than a passing glance.
From there it was down a side street to the left, and then up through a row of town houses with open windows and perfectly manicured courtyards. She stepped through the wrought iron gate of the second town house from the end, careful to keep her posture straight and her stride clipped.
She rapped on the door, her chin tucked into her collar.
Nothing.
She knocked again, harder.
A curtain shifted in one of the windows, and a few moments later, Clyde was swinging the door open, his dark brown eyes narrowed in anger.
“I told you,” he snapped, “we have no—”
His words stalled as he registered Josie’s face. “Seven hells,” he breathed, a breeze ruffling the strands of his jet-black hair.
“Inside,” Josie muttered, pushing past him and into the entry hall. She paused on the ornate rug, the accents the same purple as Lucas and Clyde’s merchant house colors. A golden swan statue—their house sigil—sat on the long side table that stretched across the left wall of the entryway.
“Who is it, darling?” Lucas called from the top of the stairs. Josie turned to see him pause halfway down, his grip on the banister tightening, making his knuckles go white against his brown skin.“Josie?”
He thundered down the stairs, and then he was in her arms, his tall, lean figure slamming into her so hard that she let out anoof.
