29
ISI
Trew levered himself off me and straightened, his hand snapping around my arm, yanking me up before I could catch my breath. Heat bit through my sleeve, searing straight to the bone. His grip wasn’t just a restraint; it was a claim, a command, and something I didn’t dare name.
His fingers tightened around my arm while his gaze cut across the training hall like a hawk circling prey. Every bit of the room appeared under his control. I wanted to pull away, to catch my breath, but his grip tethered me to something I wasn’t ready to name.
“Are you planning to crush my arm into powder?” I asked, too quiet for anyone else to hear, pushing down the image of Crey’s blood pooling on the mat.
His gaze cut to mine, unflinching. “I just saved your life.”
I could feel the weight behind his gaze. Not desire, but a reckoning. He had the power to act, to take, to claim, but every decision carried consequences. One wrong move, one misstep in this court, and the lives he was sworn to protect could unravel. I saw it there, in the tight line of his jaw. The conflict between what he wanted andwhat hemustsafeguard.
Kerralyn had knelt beside Crey and was stroking his forehead. “Hold on. Please, hold on. The healers are on their way. You’ll be alright.” Her bloody hands shook.
From the pale stillness in his face, he was already gone.
The door behind us banged open, and Malcolm stormed in, a mass of warriors following. I caught something teal and silver zip out through the opening before the door slammed shut.
When Malcolm’s narrowed gaze landed on Crey sprawled in a pool of dark red, his breathing hitched. He glanced toward the wall where the spear had been mounted before he looked back at Crey.
“You will remain here.” Trew released my arms and rushed past everyone, flinging himself from the room and into the hall beyond, his cinderhawk swooping after him.
I glanced toward Lexie, and a wordless warning passed between us. While she grabbed everyone and dragged them over to the wall, I followed Trew.
The chill of the stone corridor swallowed us whole, but I didn’t care. He was moving too fast to question. Too fast to stop.
Partway down the corridor, he turned, his jaw clenched, his eyes dark with command. “Go back inside, Isi. Remain with Malcolm.”
I caught up to him. “Is that an order?”
“It’s survival advice.”
I lifted my chin. “I’m coming with you.”
His gaze flickered with something wild before he shook his head. “No. Go back.” He took off down the hall again as if he believed I’d obey, his cinderhawk now riding on his shoulder.
I hurried after him, my boots thudding on the stone floor.
At the end of the corridor, he wrenched open a door, glaring down at me as I joined him.
The hawk’s wings flapped.
A tic bloomed in Trew’s jaw, and for a moment, I thought he’d throttle me. “I told you to return to Malcolm.”
“I will never allow anyone to cage me. Not even you.”
A growl ripped up his throat. “Stay close then. Do exactly as I say.”
I gave him a quick nod and eyed the tight staircase ahead that spiraled upward.
He started up, the stairwell so narrow, his shoulder brushed the walls with each stride. As I followed, his scent filled the tight space, winding through my lungs until my breath caught.
Our kiss had branded itself on my skin. Each time his gaze cut back, I swore it fell to my mouth before jerking away.
He wanted to close the distance again, I could see it in every taut muscle and lingering glance. I wasn’t just another woman in the castle. He had to protect, observe, and manipulate the balance of power. Yet despite that, he couldn’t help the pull I felt between us.
He picked up his pace and raced ahead, taking the stairs three steps at a time, his hawk soaring ahead of him, guiding the way.
