“Isn’t it obvious?” he growled, looking genuinely surprised.
I folded my arms. “You said yourself, she’s a master manipulator, a quick thinker, and strategic. You said the king even asks her advice.”
“When dealing with issues of thekingdom—”
“You said she’s interested in seeing me succeed as a Furyknight because she wants more women included. She deals with powerful men all the time. I need someone like that to train me.”
“She’s self-serving and guarded and—”
“And I’ll be vulnerable and useless unless I learn how to make people do what I need them to do.”
“No,”he growled. “Not her.”
I bristled. “Terra isn’t right that the training won’t make me stronger. I know it does. But this stuff they’re teaching me isn’t the way I can be helpful.” Even though we were alone, I instinctively lowered my voice. “They told me at the beginning that inthisrole, I should train to my strengths. Be assigned missions that I’m uniquely suited to. Well, my strengths are in strategy, and problem solving, and thinking differently than other people.”
I sat back, chewing my lip. I knew I was right. But I wasn’t sure he’d agree with me.
Donavyn sat back in his chair as well, his eyes dark and intent. “Bren, I don’t deny that you will move differently than aman in this kind of role. But the queen is a powerful woman in her own right, and she’s not to be trifled with—”
“I won, Donavyn,” I murmured.
“Won what?”
I rolled my eyes. “You.”
He frowned. “How is that relevant?”
I felt defensive, and it made me angry. “The queen and I are both women. Women know when another woman has won. I’m telling you,sheknows I won you. You said you were wary of her interest in me, and her insistence on bringing women into the Furyknights and… the other stuff,” I mumbled. “The only question is whether she’ll still be willing to helpmenow, or not.”
Donavyn frowned, rolling his jaw. “She’s very prideful.”
I snorted. “Pride I can deal with—I face it every day. The question is, is she vindictive? Will she pretend to help, but actually hurt me?”
Donavyn looked away, his expression dark with worry. “I honestly don’t think so. She is invested in seeing you succeed purely because you are a woman. She’d been trying to convince the king to bring women into the ranks for a while—”
“Then, please, get me a meeting with her. I need insight from someone like her.”
He stared at me and I could feel him churning in the bond. “I don’t trust her,” he said. “Personally.”
“Neither do I. But that’sexactlythe kind of person I need to learn from. And if she has some bigger purpose to achieve, and she thinks my success helps her do that, she’ll help me… won’t she?”
He didn’t respond, but his eyes never left mine. “Bren, what are you doing?” he asked in a low voice.
“I’m trying to become something useful,” I said fiercely. “And I don’t think anymanknows how to help me do that. Not really. I have so little time. Please, Donavyn. Just get me in front ofher. I won’t listen if she manipulates me aboutyou. You have my word. I know what she did last time. I won’t fall for it again. But I need to learn how she reads people like that.”
He stared at me without responding. I folded my arms. “You say you believe in me, you say you see my strength—I need you to trust me with—”
“It’s not you I don’t trust,” he said slowly. Darkly.
“Yes, it is,” I insisted. “Because you think I’m not strong enough if she tries that shit again.”
“No, Bren. I know you are. It’s me I’m worried about.”
I frowned. “You think you’ll fall for her? You want her—”
“No!God, no. I meant, I don’t trust myself to keep my hands off her if she hurts you like that again. She’s the queen, Bren. She could slap either of us in irons and throw us in the dungeon and no one would question it. She has therightto do that.”
“She won’t, though. She likes you too much, and she’s got an ulterior motive for helping me.”
