It had never worked, but he’d still tried.
Something was different now. The way he’d been so earnest about dealing with the situation immediately, had unsheathed his sword on Leon Blaise without a moment of hesitation.
The way he’d beaten the shit out of that piece of scum, Lucas.
Even now, his attention was not on Mariah, but on the golden-haired girl to his right.
Mariah fought the urge to frown. She was happy for them both, truly. They were two of her closest friends, allies she knew she could always trust. And Mariah hadn’t thought of Sebastian likethatin a long time—if ever. It lit a quiet, timid piece in her chest to know that amidst all the darkness, they might be trying to find some light in each other.
It just also made what she planned to ask of them so much more difficult.
The meeting room door swung open.
“Please, little wolf? What if they get infected? Just one kiss to make them better?—”
Mariah turned, already grinning, and froze.
“What,” she said, voice low and scratchy, “thefuckhappened to you?”
Delaynie pushed past Quentin, rolling her eyes. He tried to smirk, but it came out as something more like a grimace.
Likely due to the giant bruise spreading across his face.
“Quentin was bored and decided to be an idiot. What’s new?”
Mariah’s jaw hung open as Quentin shrugged. “It was nothing. Just a quick stint in a fighting death pit. I’m obviously fine.”
A what?
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Mariah said. Quentin ran a hand through his red hair, grin turning sheepish.
“I’m…joking?”
Mariah put her head in her hands. “Gods dammit, Quentin. We’re supposed tonotbe agitating the locals.”
“But what if the locals were already agitated?”
Mariah lifted her head at the seriousness in his voice, scrutinizing him again. “Explain.”
He shared a glance with Delaynie. “I overheard some things.”
Mariah lifted a brow.
Quentin’s lips pressed into a line, exaggerating the split in the top. “A coup. They’re working with other Kreah Elders to go behind Amasis and oust the Onitan’s from Desva.”
There was a dull ringing in Mariah’s ears. She laid her hand flat on the table, trying to keep it from shaking. Deep in her chest, something rumbled.
Sheknewthe threat of a goddess’s wrath wouldn’t be enough. She was a fool for believing Rulene could keep the peace. She’d just led a host of vulnerable people into a lion’s den.
Maybe she needed to make a statement to ensure their safety. Do something bold that would keep the Kreah agitators at bay.
“When?” she finally asked.
Delaynie crossed her arms. “We aren’t sure. They want to wait until we least expect it.”
Mariah nodded. That probably meant they had a week, if not less. But her instincts were proving to be shit, so who really knew?
She sighed, forcing a deep breath through her body. “Are you okay, Quentin?”
