I rolled my eyes so hard that it actually hurt.
“I had to give the Nightsworn time to put up the notices.”
“Heaven forbid you actually tell me the truth and we work out a plan together.”
“If I promise I can explain everything, will you come with me?”
“No.”
“How about if I say you can punch me after we talk, then will you agree?”
I almost smiled. “You do know how to tempt a girl, don’t you? But I’m still not convinced.”
Lochlan took a deep breath. “I have connections that can get you out of prison for good and entirely erase you from the system. You’d be given a fresh start.”
That one got my attention. “And all I have to do is listen?”
He nodded.
“Fine. Get me out.”
Lochlan slowly inserted the key into the lock and rotated it. “Don’t fight me, okay?” He carefully opened the cell door. “No fighting,” he reminded me once more, holding his hands out in a defensive position.
I walked out, eyes darting to the end of the passage, where armed guards were undoubtedly posted around the corner.
“Don’t run, either,” Lochlan cautioned. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.” He reached for my arm, but I jerked away.
“Don’t touch me.”
He pulled back. “Walk with me.”
“You walk in front,” I ordered. “I won’t let you backstab me again.”
“I won’t,” he said, but placidly began walking toward the end of the hall, and I followed him past the guards and out into the hallway beyond the jail.
“Don’t run,” he repeated, glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was still there. “You wouldn’t make it out, and I don’t know if I can pull enough strings to get you out again.”
“And where are you taking me?”
“I just want to talk to you.”
“Along with the rest of the Nightsworn? Or will it be just you?”
There was a long pause. “There’s another member of the Nightsworn as well. Our leader.”
I let out a snort. “I knew it.”
“We aren’t bad people,” Lochlan assured me. “I know you’ve had bad experiences with us in the past, but we’re just trying to keep everyone safe from criminals.”
“Iama criminal.”
Lochlan rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh yeah.” We turned down a corridor and I threw a longing eye at the side door where two guards were posted, barring the tantalizing freedom I could see through the window. Lochlan stepped to the side, blocking the exterior courtyard from view. “We can help you. But we need your cooperation first. Just answer our questions, and we can work out a deal.”
“Fine.” I would say whatever I had to if it meant I’d be freed.
Lochlan turned one final corner and reached for the handle of a heavy wooden door. “Here we are.”
The room beyond was not at all what I expected. I’d imagined shadows and torches with some dramatic, cloaked figure emerging from the darkness, dripping with weapons. Instead, the chamber was warmly lit, with a long table set nearthe hearth and two chairs already drawn out. A teapot steamed gently beside a plate of bread and soft cheese.
