Artis’s smile falters. “My husband and I had to discuss our options. We went through every scenario last night. Unfortunately, we are limited in the support we can offer you. We must protect our citizens first. If you return with Houses Canis and Panthera’s support, we will offer you what little we can. Until then, we must keep our resources within our court.” She turns to Barrett and gestures toward us. “Please, son.”
Barrett steps forward, his brows drawn together as he stares at his mother. She refuses to acknowledge it. He walks toward us and gestures back to the landing. “This way,” he mumbles, refusing to meet my gaze.
“Did either of you leave anything back in your rooms?” Barrett asks as we approach the stairs. I shake my head, but he looks at me with wide, expectant eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I did,” Asmo lies. “Do you mind taking me back there before we leave?”
The walk back to the private guest quarters is silent, save for the sounds of our footsteps on the hard, worn dirtof the cave floor. My thoughts are a frenzied mix of shock and anger. I thought he would help us. How dare he not?
The moment we’re back inside the private room, Barrett turns to face Asmo and me.
“What the fuck was that, Barrett?” Asmo hisses, taking a menacing step toward him. I reach for Asmo’s arm to pull him back, but it does nothing.
Barrett drops his head into his hands. “I don’t know,” he groans. “When I spoke with my father last night, the plan was to help you. They must have changed their minds after I went to bed.” He lifts his head. “Mae, I am so sorry. I really thought…I wasn’t expecting that to go that way.”
I sigh. Asmo takes a step back to stand beside me. “It’s okay, Bar—” I begin to say, but Asmo jerks his head toward me, eyes narrowed to slits.
“I wholeheartedly disagree, princess. Barrett made it seem like this was a done deal. And now, it’s contingent on two other courts agreeing to help?”
Once, his expression would have made me shrink. Now, all I can focus on is the silver that cuts through his fern-green iris. His gaze softens, jaw unclenching as he stares at me.
“We already have August’s help. I feel confident that we can get Koa’s,” I say, more calmly than I feel.
“We thought we had his help.” Asmo throws a wild hand toward Barrett, who now stands by the door watching us. “Plus, we haven’t talked to August’s parents. Just August. It could be the same damn thing.”
“August’s court will help you. He gave me his word,” Barrett says.
Asmo turns back to him. “And what good is his word? You as good as gave me yours, and it was useless,” he snaps.
Barrett’s mouth tightens into a frown. “I’m sorry, Mae.” He turns and opens the door, quelling any response Asmo or I had to give. The three of us climb the steep flight of stairs without speaking, light blooming around us the higher we climb. Barrett exits the underground palace first. Asmo doesn’t give him any form of salutation. He just walks away, his hands tucked into his pockets.
“I’m in as much shock as you are,” Barrett mutters.
I offer him a half-assed smile. It’s all I can muster right now. This was a blow. We were counting on House Ursidae to help, and we’re leaving without it.
“Be safe, okay?” I say before turning and walking back to Asmo.
Leaves crunch beneath me as I walk toward him. He stands still, his back turned to me. His tall frame is bathed in sunlight, broad shoulders cutting through a ray as it tries to reach the forest floor.
“I could use a drink right about now,” I say.
He turns to me, a lopsided smile on his face. It jars me. A smile is the last thing I expected after the crushing conversation we just had with Torben and Artis.
“Let’s go then.”
I narrow my eyes. Surely I didn’t hear him correctly. “We have to go back ho—to the house. Ivan will be worried. And what about Cally? I need to check on her.”
He dismisses the idea with a wave of his hand. “Come on,” he says, tugging me against him. “They won’t be expecting us for hours. Let’s be normal for a second and just go grab a drink before we have to think about what comes next.”
The memory of sitting at the tavern with Asmo, of forgetting everything for an hour as we played billiards…of being normal hybrids. “Okay,” I whisper.
The air blurs around us as we funnel out of the Ursine forest and land back in Bouldercrest. Luckily, nobody—human, hybrid, or witch—is at the portal location when the funnel releases us from its grasp. Asmo and I, stupidly, didn’t think to use our sigils to change our appearances before we left.
I fumble for the knife at my side and begin to press the blade into my skin, but Asmo’s hand clamps around my wrist. He takes the knife from my hand and kneels before me, reminding me of a time from before. Him on his knees, pushing the hem of my dress up, his thumb grazing my scars.
“I hate that you have to do this,” he whispers, holding the blade to my stomach.
“Me, too,” I whisper breathlessly, feeling the tingle of goosebumpserupting at his touch. But if it keeps me from being hidden away, secluded in a dusty cabin, if it helps melive, it’s a sacrifice I’ll make—again and again.
