He needed to get a message delivered to King Dimetreus as soon as possible. Berol couldn’t simply fly to Ridine Castle—a place she’d never been—and take up perch outside the king’s study. The only way to let him know that Teryn had found the fugitive was to get a note to his father first.
Teryn stepped back from Quinne.
And froze.
The moon illuminated something white between a pair of trees. It was Valorre. He watched Teryn with his large russet eyes. How long had he been standing there? Teryn smiled at the unicorn, trying to exude innocence as he returned to his bedroll. The truth was, Teryn was anything but innocent. His string of broken promises was only just beginning.
At least he had one consolation.
The girl he was going to betray wasn’t innocent either.
27
Lex, Teryn knew, would take some convincing.
“You can’t be serious,” Lex said, eyes bulging.
Teryn kept his voice far lower. “I am.” They stood near the stream, watering their horses. He glanced toward their secluded camp and the tendrils of smoke that wafted above it. Cora had already been awake by the time Teryn had opened his eyes. He was almost surprised to see her there, tending the fire and boiling something fragrant in a cook pot. As much as he’d itched to ask if she’d made her decision, he dared not say anything more than a cordial greeting. The fact that she hadn’t snuck away when she had the chance told him she was at least considering his offer. For now, that was enough.
He’d woken Lex after that, inquired about his arm. Trying not to be too obvious, he’d then pulled Lex away and had him bring his horse. Once they’d reached the stream, Teryn let him in on his idea. He hadn’t told Lex everything. Only what he’d told Cora. Not because he didn’t trust Lex to keep a secret. They’d successfully hidden their original alliance from Helios, after all. It was more that this situation felt particularly tenuous. The way Cora’s dark eyes always held far too much intensity, how she always seemed to be watching, studying, reading between his words…he knew he needed to tread carefully. Letting Lex in on his secret would be a last resort.
“We only have to accompany her to the next group of hunters,” Teryn said. “That’s all.”
Lex gave him a pointed look. “Oh, that’sall? We nearly got ourselves killed by the last company.”
“Yes, but that was when we knew nothing. Helios kept us in the dark. Cora was working against us. Now, we’ll be working together.”
“I don’t see how this helps you get your princess.”
“It doesn’t,” Teryn said. “If you want to return home now, I won’t stop you, but I’d rather have your help. Should you come with me, I promise as soon as we return to Dermaine Palace, you can have anything you want. You want in on our trade agreement with Brushwold? You got it.”
Lex made a bewildered face, but it was quickly replaced with a look of surprise. “Oh.” A pause. Then another, more drawn out, “Oooh. I see what this is.”
Teryn lifted a brow. Could he have guessed Teryn’s true motive? “What?”
“You like her. Cora.”
Teryn’s heart did a strange thing in his chest. He opened his mouth to deny it but thought better of it. Perhaps he could use Lex’s assumption—as incorrect as it was—against him. He decided to let Lex interpret his silence however he wanted.
Lex nodded, a crooked grin lifting his cheeks. “You no longer care about the Heart’s Hunt because you’ve got a new hunt in mind.” He waggled his brows. “A hunt up a certain pair of petticoats.”
A flush of heat climbed up his neck, and his pulse quickened at the sudden visuals Lex’s crass comment provided. It was far from the worst thing he could imagine. Cora was stunning. Terrifying, yes, but…
He recalled the feel of her skin beneath his palm when he’d unwittingly touched her bare shoulder last night, remembered the sharp heat that ignited his hand, warmed his chest?—
No. He shook the outrageous musings from his mind.She’s a murderer. There’s nothing enticing about that. His blood quickly cooled, but he forced his momentary lack of composure to creep into his voice, letting his words tremble a little as he said, “Maybe it’s more than that.” It was almost too much for him to keep a straight face. Thankfully, Lex didn’t know him well or else he would have called his bluff. Teryn was not the kind of man to do ridiculous things for love. To him, love was fiction. Folly. The breaker of peace and the bringer of wars. But Lex didn’t have to know that.
Lex grimaced. “You can’t want to…marry her. You’re a prince, Teryn. Princes don’t marry wood witches. Besides, isn’t your kingdom—dare I say—broke?”
Teryn stiffened at that. They hadn’t discussed Menah’s financial state, which meant rumors must have spread as far as Tomas. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. “Lex, I need you to trust me,” he said, stripping all pretense from his tone. “Come with me or go home, the choice is yours. But there’s only one option that’s going to get you a contract for Aromir wool. What’s it going to be?”
Lex puffed his cheeks as he considered. After a grumbling exhale, he said, “Fine. I’ll do it for the damn goats.”
Teryn’s lips spread into a grin as he slapped his friend on the arm—the uninjured one, of course. “Thanks, Lex. One more thing. Please don’t tell Cora about…you know. My feelings.”
“All right,” he said, “but if I see the two of you kissing or canoodling, the deal’s off.”
Teryn snorted a laugh. He took Quinne’s reins as well as Hara’s and began to walk them back toward camp. “Trust me, that’s not going to happen.”
