I didn’t know much about the male, and I wasn’t sure how much Matea herself knew, either. She’d likely heard stories of himand our mother growing up, but stories weren’t the same as knowing somebody—or having a piece of them.
“Matty, I—”
“I have to go,” shestated, abruptly turning tail and dissipating into shadows, the dagger disappearing with her.
“Wait!” I called out, taking a step toward her shadow form, but she was already through the main gates and out of sight.
Well, at least I’d guessed correctly,I thought.
Sighing, I decided to let Matea have her space. Even if I chased after her, there was no wayI’dbe able to catch up now. Plus,she’dlived inCairnylher entire life. She couldlikely shakeme from her trail in a matter of seconds.
After letting my flame go out, I carried on into The Haven. There were very fewfaemillingabout atthat hour, asI’dstayed at the Ashford estate longer thanI’dintended to. I headed for the royal wing of the castle, not paying much mind to my surroundings—I was just ready to be in my husband’s arms and recall our days together.
My daydream was rudely interrupted, though, as I turned the corner into the royal wing and ran directly into something hard, causing me to stumble back a step.
Lifting my gaze, I came face to face with Quinn.
She was only a little taller than I was, though in that moment it felt as though she was looming over me. Her eyebrowscreasedin anger, and her green eyes reflected the torchlighton the walls in a way that made it look as though the flames were framed in that emerald green.
The fireseemed to suither current mood, though, asbefore I could even open my mouth to speak, sheerupted.
“Howdareyou,” she hissed. “He was not ready to be thrown back into all of this.You’vebeen off scouting and such, and themomentyou get back,youfeel entitled enough to throw a hammer intoourplans?He’sstill in pain—and Idon’tjustmeanphysically. He wastortured, Aviva. Tortured and mutilated and then healed just enough to do it all over again the next day.That’sthe kind of family you have. Fae who would do that to another—and an innocent, no less. You better wish to the Stars that Idon’tever meet him on the battlefield, because hewillbe going down for what he did. But you? Oh,it’sobvious it must run in yourHeartshireblood. The Ashford bloodcouldn’tcleanse you of that.”
She practically spat the name Heartshire, and the venom dripping in her voice almost had me taking a step back.
I knew Quinn could be harsh sometimes, but I’dneverheard her like this.
“Quinn, I didn’t—”
“Yes, you did, Viva! You messed itallup!He was not ready.”
“Was it him that wasn’t ready?” I asked, my voiceassoft as one of my feathers. “Or was it you?”
At that, Quinn took one step back, her expression flickering to show all the pure shock and distress she must have felt due to whatI’djust asked.
Quinn quickly slid on her mask of fury again—which was, I imagined, the only thing she knew how to feel on a large enough scale thatmust’veblocked out the pain she was feeling.
Before either of us could utter another word, I suddenly realized there was anadditionalweight on the ground below, just behind Quinn. A weight that I had been too busy arguing with Quinn to realize was there—for how long, Ididn’tknow.
Slowly, I stepped to the side of Quinn, resting my gaze on the small figure standing there.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Margo asked, “Who are you two talking about?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
After gently greeting Margo and being met with more and more insistent questions, I instructed Quinn to take the young female into the closest lounge room in the wing. To my surprise, the general did exactly that without saying a word.
Then, I went to get Byn.
As it turned out, he was already slipping on a soft cotton shirt and heading to the door to our chambers when I opened it.
“I felt a shift in you,” he explained before I could even ask what he was doing. “Are you alright?”
“I will be, but…” I hesitated, unsure how to explain how careless Quinn and I had been only moments ago.
Byn closed the space between us, placing a finger under my chin and lifting my face to meethis.
“Tell me.”
