“I am. And if I wasn’t, the man who showed up and drove her off confirmed it.”
Hazel thought she heard him scoff over her shoulder.
“You don’t believe me.”
“It would be a lot more believable if you were dead. You used your powers, didn’t you?”
There was no sense in lying about it anymore, was there? “If I had these powers everyone claims I do, wouldn’t I have used them by now? Wouldn’t I have obliterated you during our fight? Used them to escape?”
For a moment, Slaide said nothing, and Hazel enjoyed the satisfaction of shutting him up for once.
It was short lived.
“Probably self-preservation,” he replied at last. “The same reason you’re lying right now.”
Hazel stiffened.
Slaide chuckled softly against her back. “Fine then. Keep your secrets.”
She scrunched her face. “The only thing I know for sure, andyouknow for sure, is that my mother was more than likely a witch. And while I don’t understand it, I’m not denying it. I just…” her words trailed off. “I don’t know what it means for me. I’m trying to wrap my head around Connall and Agnes both lying to me for so many years. Myentirelife has been a lie.”
Silence spread between them again, the clopping of Phillip’s hooves on cobblestone the only sound. It was as though Slaide was giving her space to process.
“Searching for answers is how I ended up in this mess, you know. I don’t have a single memory of my mother, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the associations I’m forming around her now… well, they’re not great. I was hoping to find out she was a good cook, perhaps a talented seamstress, or even a healer of some sort.” She didn’t need to clarify that she meant the non-magical variety.
“Well for what it’s worth coming from a witch hunter,” Slaide said, voice low, “your worth isn’t limited by who or what your mother was. All that matters is how you choose to move forward.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe two. Because there was absolutely no way Slaide was being niceto her.
But she didn’t have the energy to argue. Hazel was so tired, the weariness seeming to catch up with her out of nowhere. The side-to-side rocking and dipping of Phillip’s stride reminded her of Nan’s old rocking chair, lulling her in as the day’s events caught up with her.
Slaide’s chest was a warm, solid wall behind her, his breaths coming in a steady rhythm, his heart thumping in time with Phillip’s hoofbeats. She leaned into him involuntarily, but Slaide didn’t protest. For the first time all evening, she let her guarddown and closed her eyes, replaying the gentle words of a man who should have killed her by now.
THE KINGSWOOD
Sunlight filtered in through the paned windows, falling over Hazel in a warm caress. She groaned, rolling over and seeking the cover of the duvet. Why weren’t the curtains closed?
Wait.
She sat up with a start, jolted by the realization that when she’d last been awake, she was astride Phillip—with Slaide. And she… Oh gods. Had she fallen asleep on him? She brushed the wild, unruly strands of hair from her face and attempted to reorient with the world.
She glanced down and was unsettled by the discovery of a night dress, and not the clothes she’d last had on. Her cheeks heated. Had he…?
“Phaedra’s work again, sweets, not mine.” Slaide’s voice shattered her inner monologue. “I have my issues, sure, but messing with people while they sleep isn’t my thing.” He was sitting backwards in the chair at the writing desk, his arms folded over the chair back. He feigned disinterest and picked at his nails with his dagger. “You sleep like the dead, by the way.”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “So how did I get in here?” She had an idea but wasn’t in love with it.
“I carried you.”So matter of fact,Hazel thought,as though I should justexpectthat from him.
“Why?”
“Would you rather have slept in the stables? Phillip is great company, but when his gas gets going, he’s nearly lethal.” He shrugged. “But if that’s what you’d prefer…”
“No—I… It’s fine. I just… thank you.” She rubbed her arms, not meeting his gaze. “I don’t know what came over me to fall asleep like that.”
Slaide laughed softly. “Generally, exhaustion will do that to you. Believe it or not, I do acknowledge you’ve had a trying few days. And I understand this has been a big change for you.” He waved her off. “I did try waking you but…”
Then it was her turn to laugh. “I guess I really do sleep like the dead.” Then she cleared her throat, suddenly very aware of Slaide’s presence and her lack of clothing, a blush warming her cheeks.
