Cade let out a single, short laugh.
“Maybe,” he said.
His voice was strange now. And there was something behind his eyes that Bridget couldn’t quite read. She couldn’t tell if it was hurt… or doubt.
Vega must have sensed it too. She closed the final step between them and touched his chest.
“Why don’t we stop fighting?” she said gently.
And then she kissed him.
Rage shuddered up Bridget’s spine. She wanted to shove Vega out of her skin. She wanted to scream. To claw her way back to Cade. But her limbs remained still. Her lips pressed against his.
Cade didn’t move. Not at first. Then, slowly, he kissed her back. Just for a moment. Bridget’s world spun. The betrayal cut so deep she could hardly breathe. But then he pulled away.
His eyes had changed.
He does kiss you differently than he ever kissed me,Vega mused.But still, not bad.
Bridget wanted to throttle her. But she was too busy trying to see if Cade realized she wasn’ther.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked softly.
Vega blinked, masking the hesitation with a smile.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Cade didn’t respond. He stepped back instead, putting a bit of space between them.
Bridget’s breath caught in her throat. Not because she could finally breathe, but because something in him had shifted. She couldn’t name it, but shefeltit.
He knew.
But Vega didn’t seem fazed. She turned from him with a hum and moved back down the hallway, murmuring something about heading outside to the fire and needing rest.
Bridget felt herself walk away.
But Cade’s eyes stayed with her, burning into her back the entire way down the hall.
If he knew, why was he letting her walk away?
The door creaked softly on its hinges as they slipped out of the tavern. Cold air slapped Bridget’s cheeks. The fire had burned low in the center of the camp, its embers flickering like dying stars. Most of the soldiers were curled in their cloaks, faces half-hidden, unaware that anything was wrong.
Bridget scanned the camp with Vega’s eyes. The horses shifted in their sleep, steam curling from their noses into the chill. Shadows clung to the trees.
I guess he doesn’t know you as well as you thought,Vega said with a fake pout.
Bridget said nothing, but the ache in her chest pulsed sharper with each step.
It’s almost disappointing,Vega continued, trailing her fingers along one horse’s mane.I expected more of a fight. And yet…She gave a soft, venom-laced laugh.He let you walk away.
Bridget clenched inwardly. Vega was testing her, pushing on every bruise she knew how to find. After glancing at the unassuming soldiers behind her, Vega’s fingers curled around the reins, her boot slipping into the stirrup.
Bridget felt it… the tension in her own muscles, the way her limbs didn’t belong to her. Her body was tired, sore, her bones aching from fighting what she couldn’t control. But Vega didn’t hesitate. She moved with purpose.
She was going to run.
And then Cade’s voice shattered the night.
