She threw her head back, watery eyes narrowed on me.
“You were always a pain. At least now I don’t have to pretend I like you,” she spit out. But then she turned her mean, strange gaze to Ryker, as if she wanted to rip the heart out of him. “Any of you.”
Chapter 68
Allie
“Idon’t–” Mrs. Thornbrew shook her head, her hand flying to her chest. “I don’t understand. Did you get into the moonshine?”
Nadya’s top lip curled. “Doubt there’d be any left to steal after your early nightcap.”
“You will watch your tongue, Nadya,” Ryker said. “Mrs. Thornbrew has treated you like a granddaughter. Fed you. Nursed you when you were sick.”
“Yes, yes, you’re all so virtuous and honorable and I’m the bad seed.” She huffed an annoyed snort that looked forced.
Like a scared wolf that knew there was no escape, but wanted to bite, scratch, and leave a bloody mess with its final breaths.
I saw the way her disturbing smile trembled.
The harshness of her breaths.
How her legs tensed, ready to spring up and attack.
Nadya was scared.
Discovered, cornered, and scared.
And she knew it.
“You just need to tell the truth and I’ll set you free from my arrows.” I curled my fingers into fists, my healed palm still tender.
She could have kicked the vial out of my hand, but no. She’d wanted me to suffer.
“Is that all?” She rolled her eyes. “Gods, you’re disgustingly preachy. And I can finally say it.”
“Yes, because you’ve been so restrained until now,” Dax said dryly.
“I could have done much, much worse,” she said, puffing out her chest. Like it was a point of pride to destroy everything in her wake.
“This isn’t a game,” Ryker said. I felt him suffocating the maelstrom of emotions hurtling through him, quieting his thundering heart and evening his breaths. “Tell us what happened.”
“Are you going to torture the truth out of me, Commander?” she goaded.
“When you came here, shivering and scared, I promised you would be safe in these lands. I keep my promises.” The angles of his face tightened. “I still have faith you’ll do the right thing.”
Nadya threw her head back and barked a laugh. “You haven’t managed to convince me your path is better in years, you think you can do it overnight?”
He took a deep, slow inhale. A cold, bitter acceptance snapping inside of him, quiet and final.
He crouched slowly, so that he was almost eyelevel with her. “And what path do you follow?”
The gentleness in his voice was so at odds with the unhinged glint in her eyes.
“The winning one,” she said.
He tilted his head to the side, analyzing the battle in front of him. This one wouldn’t be fought with weapons and monsters. It was so much worse–facing someone he loved.
“Did you allow the attackers passage into Solkar’s Reach?” he asked, shocking the crowd and me.
