“It’s me, Max,” Reid pants, hand to my wrist. “Fuck, you really don’t like being woken up.” He pulls me by the wrist, my head going dizzy at the quick shift. “But we don’t have time for that. We need to go.”
“Go?” He grabs my cloak from the edge of the bed, tossing it at me. It wraps over my head, and when I detangle, he’s shoving boots on to my feet. I fall back, holding his shoulder for balance. “Reid, what is happening?”
“Zelos is happening,” he huffs, tying one boot too tight. “The guards on our side have been informed of a bounty on you. The first to break you, wins.”
Cold panic settles into my gut.
It’s happening, just like Fee said it would. He’s coming after me. I pushed him and now, I’m paying the price.
“What do we do?”
“Wedo nothing,” he explains, throwing Kaden’s mother’s necklace on to the bed. “We run. Put that on.”
“No, we have to stay, to fight?—”
“Max,” Reid interrupts, eyes dark. Gone is the kind, generous male. Now, all that is left is a hard warrior. My mouth snaps shut instantly. “If we stay, you’re going to be tortured. If you die, my brother dies, no matter the distance. I’m not losingeitherof you to this fight. It’s not worth it.”
Smiling sadly, I understand his worry. He doesn’t want either of us hurt and he’s running, just like I would. Just like I want to do.
“Kaden wouldn’t want us to abandon the plan. The coup. Too many people are depending on Kaden to take the throne.”
“Kaden would want me to protectyou,” he argues, throwing items into a bag. “If I don’t, he won’t be around to take the throne. And you, him, Fee, are the only ones I care about. Nowmove.”
He stalks into the sitting room as I grab the necklace, securing it around my throat. Following, I slide the daggers onto my belt, my nightgown thicker than I’ve taken to wearing.
Not by much. But I’ve been preparing for retribution for my demonstration. Zelos didn’t have control, and I knew pushing him would result in some kind of attack.
Reid withdraws his sword, waiting until I’m behind him before we go into the halls. We take the left, which I know leads to the side exit, into the gardens. Beyond that, Crow’s Feet Forest, where I tried to flee, all those nights ago.
“Where’s Fee?”
“Causing a distraction.” At my furrowed brow, he smirks, playfulness hindered by tension. “She’s picking a fight in the armory. She’s got some rage to work out.”
My grin is fleeting. That will keep the guards busy as the warrior princess starts throwing blades at their heads.
“AndOslo?”
Reid shakes his head. “We still can’t find him. We’ve searched everywhere. We don’t know where he went.”
“Would Zelos?—"
“No,” he cuts off, stopping at the end, scanning both ways. It’s uncanny how similar he is to Kaden. Though not as refined, or with a consuming aura as his brother, Reid is well-trained, quick with a keen eye. He’s looking for any threat and takes his job seriously. “He wouldn’t touch him.”
“But he’s working with us.”
“He’s also well loved by the guards.” We dart to the left, hiding in the darkness of the palace. “If Zelos harms the general, he’ll have a mutiny. There’s got to be something else happening.”
Reid’s probably right. But what would keep the general from us for days?
We stopped at the end of another hall, the corridors deserted, only our shoes the only noises. He searches once more, hand around my wrist. It’s a short distance but we’re in the open and I’ve learned the guards are great at hiding here.
“Whatever happens, get outside, get into the forest, and getout,” he instructs.
I nod. Get out.Flee. Everything I wanted, and now it’s the only way to survive.
We cross the threshold before four guards materialize, blocking the exit. Their leathers glint in the flickering lights, silent as ghosts.
“Shit,” Reid breathes, eying the largest of them. Something about the way he shifts, squaring up to him, makes me realize, this guard is the one to watch.
