“It grows all over and has several different uses. Not all of them are nefarious,” Riall explains, and I nod, unsure if I feel relief about that or disappointed that another theory has met a dead end.
“I think we should leave for Sagor Coast first thing. It’s the last place Lord Daeral visited before he was killed. Other clues from Verus lead to the Night Court in general. We should start there and see if there’s anything to find,” Tarek declares.
He looks at each of us for our agreement. I shrug, willing to do whatever they think makes the most sense, because I don’t have a clue. When Tarek started writing everything down, I quickly realized that we had more pieces of the puzzle than I thought we did. The only problem is that none of us has any idea how it all fits together.
I wish I was more help, but I feel torn and unsure about what we might be walking into. I don’t want my Scorpions to get hurt, especially not in the pursuit of something that could cause me more trouble or damage. On the other hand, if by some miracle, I do have loved ones waiting for me, I don’t know how I would deal with that either. It was hard to trust the Scorpions, but in the end, there was no denying that we fit together perfectly. It might not be like that with anyone else. I’m violent and broken. The shards of who I am aren’t easy to navigate, and I have a tendency to cut anyone who tries. How that fits in any kind of family dynamic, I don’t know.
What if they expect me to be different?
What if they don’t like what I had to become to survive?
Why do I care?
I feel jittery once again. Maybe I can call Eacon and she’ll come fight with me.
“Are you going to involve the Vulpi?” Curio asks as both Tarek and Riall stand.
“They may have their own scouts at the coast, following up the connection to Daeral, but I think it’s best to keep as low a profile as we can. I’m going to start making arrangements,” Tarek declares as he grabs all the pages of parchment and distractedly leaves.
“Since I’m useless here, I’ll go sort out lunch.” Riall winks at me as he strides out, and I can’t help but feel slightly abandoned, which is asinine because both Tarek and Riall left to do things that will help. I want to punch myself at this point for being all over the place with my emotions. I feel like a raw wound in need of tending, and yet everything hurts and I don’t want anyone to touch it.
I want answers, but I don’t. I care, yet I question if any of this is worth it. I’m sure the Scorpions have actual work to do. Proper hunts that pay. Not this nonsense of chasing ghosts figuratively and now literally. I feel bad for dragging them into my mess but grateful that I’m not trying to figure it all out on my own.
Fuck, I need to fight. It’s the only thing that I’ll be able to make sense of right now.
“How do I call Eacon?” I ask Curio as he rises from the bench and moves closer.
I don’t miss the smooth way that he moves, like he’s stalking prey, and a little thrill works its way down my stomach as he closes the distance.
“Do you need healing?” he teases, his hickory-brown eyes filled with humor and tracing over me as though he’s searching for some hidden wound or injury.
“No, I need to hunt.”
“Ahhh, you need to hunt? Or you need to feel in control?”
I roll my eyes and huff out a sigh. “One in the same,oh wise one,” I snark.
“But are they?” he challenges as he ties his hair back, knotting it tightly behind his head.
Riall’s hair is now the same color as the light streaks in the front of Curio’s mane. I tilt my head as I study that, and Curio smiles a crooked, devious grin that makes my insides start flip-flopping around.
“Okay, Moonling, you canhuntme, but I have a few ground rules.”
I’m slightly taken aback by his offer. I’ve sparred with all of the Scorpions, but Curio and I have never gone toe-to-toe like this. I’ve always worked with the other two when it comes to training.
“I thought this wasn’t your thing? Riall always—”
“Riall craves the violence more than I do. Plus, he’s a better teacher. I’m more than capable of giving you what you need right now, Moonling. But if you’re not interested…” Curio steps to the side, but I immediately move to block him.
“No! It’s not that,” I rush to reassure him. “I’m just surprised. You don’t normally sign up for this sort of thing.”
Curio shrugs, that crooked smile back on his face. “Maybe I need to exert a littlecontrolmyself.”
“So what are your ground rules?” I ask instead of focusing on the way he’s saying one thing when I think he’s really talking about something else.
I’m game for all of it though, my adrenaline already spiking as my heart rate picks up and the restless energy I always feel right before a bout wakes up my muscles and my mind.
Curio’s roguish energy grows serious. “No weapons. Open-handed hits only and solely to the torso. Head and below the waist is off limits. This isn’t a brawl. I’m not going to beat on you, and you’re not going to beat on me. This is about strategy and control, and that’s it.”
