Or find a clue in the first few parchments.
With our luck, it was probably hidden on the very last page.
That was a problem for tomorrow, though. Today had been too much already.
“You’re planning on staying that long, huh?” I played along, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach. “The big bed and fluffed-up pillows are hard to give up, I admit.”
“And Mrs. Thornbrew’s cooking, of course,” Dax said.
I smiled up at him, hoping my fears and fatigue didn’t show. “If you need anything, I’m right above you.”
“Any opportunity to lord over me.” He sighed dramatically, before offering me the first genuine smile all evening and cradling my hands in his.
“Thank you,” he muttered only for my ears.
“Always.” I gave his palms a reassuring squeeze and turned. “Tomorrow at eight.”
“Nine. You need your beauty sleep, princess,” he called after me. Then his face turned serious as he locked eyes with Ryker. “Thanks for not letting me die.”
Ryker’s reply was a simple nod.
In the last sliver of light before closing the door, my gaze fell onto the backpack resting against the wall. The crown was still waiting, hidden.
It didn’t care about tonight’s ordeal.
It simply had to exist to capture my thoughts.
Tomorrow.
I would worry about it once the sun rose.
I closed the door, and finally let myself fold against the wall, closing my eyes. All the strength I’d been barely holding together melted away.
“He’s a handful,” Ryker said, his voice now devoid of that sharp edge. It was raspy and low, blanketing me in warmth and familiarity, even as we stood on opposite sides of the hallway. “But nothing can beat you storming barefoot through my fortress and calling out my name.”
I huffed a tired laugh. “I don’t know what I was thinking. You could have thrown me in some dungeon for all I knew.”
“That would have been a first for me, those dungeons haven’t been properly used in years. And I’m sure you would have found some way to escape from that, too. Or at least make my life miserable.” He chuckled low in his throat. “Are you alright?”
My eyes popped open. The second our gazes connected, I felt lighter. At peace. “Areyoualright? You’re the one who jumped into that frozen lake.”
For my cousin.
Because Ryker knew how much I cared for Dax, even though he couldn’t suffer him.
He’d risked his life.
For me.
To protect this fragile heart of mine.
The same fear roiled in my stomach, despite the exhaustion nipping at my senses.
I could have lost them both tonight.
He’s safe.
He’s alive.
