We had only made it a few steps down the road when Theron suddenly shouted, “Ouch!”
I stopped short, staring at the hunter as he bent over, grabbing his knee with a pained expression on his face.
“What?” I snapped.
“It’s my leg. I can’t—” Theron broke off with an exaggerated groan, then sank to his ass right there in the middle of the road.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded. “I didn’t do anything to your leg.”
“Perhaps it was the ride here,” Theron said, massaging his knee with both hands. “But whatever it was, I’m not going anywhere tonight. I need to rest.”
My nostrils flared. “There’s nothing wrong with your damn leg.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Fine. Tell me, point-blank, that your leg is wounded.” I crossed my arms and waited.
Theron only continued to make anguished noises as he rubbed his knee.
I nudged him with my boot. “Nice try, hunter. Get up. This isn’t going to work.”
Theron wheezed a laugh. “Are you sure about that? I never saidwhenI would smuggle you into the palace. As long as I do it—even if it’s five years from now—I’m abiding by the terms of our bargain.”
My heart stopped for a full beat as I processed his words. My blood ran cold, and my breath caught in my throat.
Shit, he was right.
“So, I suppose if you want me to move any faster, you’ll have to forcibly drag me,” he said.
My eyes narrowed as I considered doing just that. But Theron was tall and bulky. No matter how strong I was, I would buckle under his weight. There was no way I could carry him.
I rubbed my temples, struggling to rein in my temper. Blood and ice, this hunter would be the death of me. It was taking all of my restraint not to stab him right now.
But I needed him. And he knew it.
I don’t have time for this,I thought angrily. The palace was in Taerin, the capital of our Winter Court. The large city was a five-day ride from Knockspur, if one traveled with minimal interruptions. With Calista hunting me, I often had to make detours or unexpected stops when I traveled.
The other rebels had agreed to meet me in Taerin at the full moon, along with any supporters and troops they could round up by then. That was two weeks away, and at this rate, I was concerned I wouldn’t make it in time. Especially if Theron insisted on extending the journey as much as possible.
Not everything is given right away,my father had told me.Sometimes, we must demonstrate patience. The patience to wait for better things.
It was hard to be patient when I was so limited on time. The dark cloud of death hung over me, drawing closer every day.
But I couldn’t exactly tell the hunter that.
I heaved a weary sigh of resignation, knowing that, at least for right now, I had no choice. “Fine. Let’s get you to the inn.”
Theron smirked and climbed to his feet effortlessly. It made me want to give him atrueleg injury. I envisioned kicking him so hard that I shattered his kneecap.
The thought brought a smile to my face.
The hunter’s leg seemed perfectly fine after that; he didn’t bother putting on a show as we continued down the road, following the light of the setting sun as we made our way to the inn. The air chilled, and a brisk breeze whipped over us as we approached the threshold of the inn.
We stepped inside, and the crowd of patrons at the pub fell silent at the sight of the assassin. Several narrowed eyes fixed on him, then flitted over to me.
That was to be expected.
“Off to your room,” I muttered, grabbing Theron’s arm. I was anxious to be out of the public eye as quickly as possible.
