Meela glances at me. “Are you ready for this? It’s not too late to—”
“No,” I cut her off, shaking my head. I lift my chin up, looking at each one of them. “I will admit, I had some doubts creep in today. But then I did a lot of thinking, and I became more determined than ever. We’re doing this.” I look around again. “As long as you’re all still in?”
They all nod easily. “Yep,” Meela says.
“Good. Because a couple assholes crossed me at the wrong time today, making me more determined than ever.”
“What happened?” Raef asks.
“Nothing noteworthy. Just some cocky males who are going to get what’s coming to them.”
Meela cocks her head at me. “Adrian?”
“And the king.”
She nods her head slowly with understanding.
Daegan looks pissed. “What happened?”
I sigh. I’m afraid to tell him. What if he gets mad at me for not telling him sooner?
“I need to be fully transparent with you guys, as you’ve been with me,” I meet Daegan’s eyes, pleading with him to understand. “My father asked me to get close to you when you first got here. But even then, when we didn’t… get along, I told him nothing. I only pretended I was going along with it to appease him, but now it sort of works in our favor. It goes along with our plan to pretend anyway, and he’ll think it’s all part of his master plan.”
Daegan’s looking down at his hand, flexing it with his eyes narrowed.
“That fucker,” Raef says.
“Daegan?” I say barely above a whisper.
He looks up then, looking into my soul as he nods. “I trust you.”
Relief washes through me.
“Also…” I start. “He… knows your people are dying.”
Raef’s expression darkens into a rare scowl.
“I’m not surprised,” Daegan mumbles.
“All the more reason,” Meela mutters.
“Who’s the other asshole?” Daegan asks after a stretch of silence.
“Adrian.”
He nods, his jaw ticking.
“I shot icicles at his face.”
Raef and Meela both look at me with their mouths open.
“Not the kind that will penetrate his skin,” I add. “Just enough to piss him off.”
“Did he hurt you?” Daegan asks.
“No. But I will make him suffer for the words he spoke to me.”
Daegan glances up at me… and smirks. Like he’s proud. I smile back.
