My heart jumped to my throat, and Gisila started to swing the dagger down in an arc.
“Lady Gisila.”
Gisila froze, her forehead briefly furrowing before she stood up and turned around. “Orrin?”
CHAPTER
THIRTY
Jade
The handsome, blond fae gracefully picked his way over the collapsed gate. “Yes.” He didn’t have any of his weapons out, and by the time he made his way into the loading station he was scowling and brushed off his uniform with a fastidiousness I hadn’t witnessed in him since he’d started his community service. “Good evening.”
What is he doing here? Is he crazy?
I could tell my pain levels were starting to fade, because the ruthless part of me that had been grown and nurtured by slayer training whispered that he might be here by design. Orrin could be double crossing the task force.
Double crossing me.
Gisila glanced down at me, then scooted sideways so her back no longer faced me and she could keep Orrin and me in her field of vision. “Are you returning to me, or standing before me as an employee of the Curia Cloisters?”
She’s using the fae inability to lie to her advantage.
The pain had faded enough that I could move—my fingers obeyed when I tried to twitch them. However, I didn’t want Gisila to know, so I stayed down, trying to plan out my next move.
Orrin casually slid his hands into his pants pockets. “My loyalties remain the same as they were the night I was forced into mycommunity service,” he said, a hint of a sneer to the words.
Okay, there are not a whole lot of ways that could be interpreted.
I highly doubted Orrin was loyal to the Cloisters that early—they’d kept him locked up in a windowless room with no tea.
But that specific phrasing made me think he wasn’t loyal to Gisila, either, because he could have just said so if he was? And she’d abandoned him to the Cloisters. That might have been expected, but I doubt it left him filled with pleasant feelings.
Gisila must not have been bothered, because she relaxed. “I see. I can take you with me when I leave tonight. I’ll be leaving the continent—for all my sister’s arrogance that her little building would manage to keep me out, she’ll be furious when she realizes I’ve taken a piece of her treasure hoard.” Gisila’s shoulders tensed, and she bared her teeth in a snarl. “Even though as the eldest it wasmineto begin with!”
Still trying to decide whose side Orrin was on, I risked glancing up at him while Gisila was occupied. I couldn’t interpret his body language any more than I could correctly bake one of my family’s recipes. His posture was indolent, there was a slight curve up to his left eyebrow, and his lips were straight. He looked…bored? That couldn’t be right.
Does it matter? I know Orrin. He’s my friend and has stood by me the entire time Considine has been missing.I mashed my lips together as I carefully planted my palms on the ground,discreetly moving so I’d be able to push myself to my feet and dodge Gisila.I choose to trust him.
Gisila fixed her hold on her dagger. “Make yourself useful and enclose the slayer in a barrier—I don’t want any of her pesky squad mates to hear her scream.” She turned her attention back to me.
“Can’t.” Orrin held his wrists up. “I’m cuffed.”
Gisila snorted, and I swear I saw sparks flare around her nostrils. “Of course you are. Fine.” Grunting with effort, she tried to stab me.
I pushed off the ground and bolted as a flicker of wizard magic brushed my mind.
Does that mean the team is about to attack? No—if they had the proper amount of backup they wouldn’t have sent Orrin in solo. He must be here to stall for time.
That was fine—great, even.
I could take pain if it meant Gisila wasn’t going to get away, if it meant we’d find Considine.
Orrin stood in the gap between the loading station and the lobby, giving me the excuse to back off from escaping.
I slowed down my running speed just enough to let Gisila catch up with me, then darted to the side and kicked her left knee with everything I had.
Gisila tottered for a half a second, off balance.
