I hesitate, considering giving in. But I shake my head. “No. This is my responsibility to bear, not yours. I’m fine. I’ll figure this out. I’m not the fragile princess you met six months ago.”
Despite my words, tears prick at the corners of my eyes again.
He stands abruptly and crosses the space between us, scooping me into his arms before he sits back in his chair. I squirm, trying to pushhim away, but he holds me too tightly. I stop fighting almost instantly, the feeling of being in his arms too strong to give up.
“I know you’re not. You never were.” His chest rumbles against my cheek. “We’ll figure it out.”
I close my eyes, and let myself believe him. We’ll figure it out.We.
“How did you find us?” I ask. It’s something I was thinking about while lying in bed. Somehow, nobody thought to ask him that question when he returned. I guess the bigger question wasDid he betray us?
“Hm?” he mumbles, his breath tickling the top of my head.
I check my nets again and ask, “We moved safe houses. How did you find us?”
It’s possible I’m imagining the way his pulse ticks up. “I’d find you anywhere, princess. You know that.” I twist and try to get some more distance from him, but he holds me close. “Stop. Please. Just trust me.”
I swallow a frustrated sigh. He’s right. His words are his truth, whatever they mean. After all, he was the one who knew I was in trouble on the shower floor. He was the one who knew something was wrong. He was the one who found me when the cambion was dragging me into the woods. When the osseris—Marik—had me in its grip.
“Would you go back? To your House, if you could?” I ask, changing the subject. I peer up at him, at the moon glistening in the black pools of his eyes, at the long lashes that flutter as he avoids my gaze.
His jaw flexes once, twice. “Yes.”
His answer isn’t surprising. He denied me because he wanted to remain in his court.
I don’t ask any more questions. There will be time for that later, time to figure out all that comes next. For now, I let him hold me until my eyes drift closed, listening to the quiet sounds of the forest and the beat of his heart against my cheek.
Chapter 11
MAE
I wakein my own bed, the soft touch of the pillow far different than the warmth of Asmo’s chest. The distant sounds of rustling in the kitchen and the smell of eggs have me throwing back the covers. I stop at Asmo’s door and peek my head in. Cally still lies on the bed, face pale and limbs sprawled. Sweat dampens her forehead, despite the lack of blankets covering her.
Holly hovers a skillet of eggs over dark flames in the kitchen while Luca gathers plates from the cabinet. She offers me a smile, then dips her head toward the living room, where Ivan and Asmo are whispering furiously to one another. They glance up as I enter. Asmo’s eyes soften as they land on me, and I resist the urge to smooth my hair.
Ivan clears his throat and forces a smile, but it’s weak. “Morning, Your Highness.”
I skip the pleasantries. “What’s wrong?”
Sure enough, Ivan’s smile falls, a frown now in its place. “Cally is not responding to the medicinal herbs as I had hoped. That wound appears to have been repeatedly infected.” He rubs the gray scruff along his jaw. “The infection has spread and entered her bloodstream.”
“What does that mean?”
Ivan’s inhale is shaky, and I prepare myself for whatever he’s about to say. “The resources we have here are not enough to save her.”
I freeze, a tingling spreading from my chest to my arms as panic begins to take hold. “So, we need to get her to a healer.”
“There is another, less risky option. An extract imbued with Fae magic, but it is only available in specialized apothecaries in hybrid towns.”
The tingling abates. Thank the Mother. “Great. I’ll go.”
Ivan shakes his head. “Luca and I have already discussed it. He’s prepared to leave soon.”
If they think I’m not about to help fix the mess that I’ve created, they’re wrong. And if they think I’m about to sit here by myself and not help save my best friend’s life, they’re insane. “I wasn’t joking. I’m going.”
Luca’s face twists into a scowl. “Your Highness?—”
“I’ll use the dark magic sigil and I’ll be fine.”
