I blinked.
“Oh, my gods,” I panted. “You’re right. I didn’t really notice it before, but…the way he looks at him.”
Vulcan nodded. My stomach twisted as a question formed in my mind.Would I have done the same?I hadn’t really examinedmy own feelings, to come to terms with the thread that had slowly begun to unravel…
“Astraeus doesn’t feel the same,” I said, pulling away from my thoughts and dodging a few more attacks.
Vulcan shook his head and arched back in an unnatural angle as I spun into a kick I was certain would land at his ribs. I tripped, the momentum of my miss sending me slipping into the mud, before I caught my balance and got my feet under me. Vulcan opened his mouth as Ronan’s voice boomed from the prison.
“Cantor!” he bellowed, his voice ripe with a level of rage and authority I’d yet to hear from the ex-queensguard.
“Good luck,” Vulcan murmured as he reached for his jacket hung on a nearby post.
I schooled my features before turning to Ronan, whose face was as red as the crimson border of the white cloak he used to don.
“What in Tynan’s Hell is wrong with you?” he seethed as he hopped over the fence and strode over to me.
I pulled my gaze to my bloody and muddy hands as I unwrapped the strips of wet fabric, balling them up and sticking them in my pocket.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,Merik,” I said in the most innocent voice I could muster.
“Lyvia,” he said, leveling a deadly stare, his sapphire eyes gleaming with wrath. “You threatened fifty of my commanding officers.They are on our side.”
“If they are your commanding officers,” I said, keeping my voice soft and sweet, “thenyouget them in line, Commander.”
“I was in a strategic briefing! You don’t think I’m going to address shit behavior like that? You didn’t even give me a chance. Leash your anger or get the fuck out of this prison. Stop acting like an animal.”
I resisted the urge to bristle. “Speaking of animals,” I said, glancing at the stables. “We need to talk about their treatment of the agrippa.”
Ronan looked up to the sky as he groaned. “Burning Aelius, Lyvia. For fuck’s sake?—”
“They’ve been mistreated, Ronan,” I cut in, unable to keep my temper from slipping. “You want this battalion of criminals and country folk to ride to battle on the most fearsome equines in the Realm of Vael. They need to be trained. All of them.”
Ronan threw his arms to the side in defeat. “Fine, fine. Train the damn horses. Do whatever you need to do to keep that temper in check.”
I blinked at him. “I’m not talking about training thehorses,” I snapped.
Ronan rolled his eyes. “Fine. We’ll work on that. We’ll work on the men. I’ve got enough shit to sort through to prepare us to march through Skyscape Pass if we’re going to try to leave in two weeks. Keep your temper and your powers in check, Lyvia. Or you’re staying on theHydrafrom now on.”
“Like hell I am!” I fumed as Ronan left without another word.
