Page 75 of A Cruel Kindness

You got too close to Elijah, the Bond taunted like a child laughing after a punishment was doled out.

I couldn’t complain all that much about being pressed to Soren’s body. At least the discoveries of the hour weren’t horrible enough that he decided to stop touching me.

I knew we had a tough conversation ahead of us, and I was already clinging to the few hours we’d had together like it was my lifeline.

Elijah adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, not unlike someone would adjust a suit. He didn’t strike me as someone who had ever worn one. “I do look forward to our budding relationship. I’ll inform the Prince of your willing cooperation.”

“Where is he, by the way?” Soren said, and I didn’t have to look at him to know he was raising one eyebrow.

Elijah's lip curled into another smile. “While Royals may seem to be in abundance on Virterra, we do not have that same luxury. The Prince has to be protected, especially while the young princess is still coming of age and he remains unmarried.”

My heart froze at the way he drew out that last word, almost like a taunt.

Without another word, Elijah swung himself onto his midnight black horse, reaching behind him to place a wide brim hat low on his brow. “Speak soon,” he said, before taking off, his cavalry following with sneers. They quickly fell into a protective position, boxing him in.

I watched them go, before Soren’s hand slipped from my stomach and I came back to reality.

By the time I turned, Peter and Soren had already mounted their horses and Clover was looking at me impatiently.

“Sorry,” I muttered to her, hopping up quickly. She’d been through a lot today, partially from having to weather my own distress through our bond as rider and steed.

I was hoping to have the ride to talk to Soren, but those hopes were dashed when Peter said, “Let’s ride back hard. I don’t want one of them getting frisky and hitting us in the back with an arrow.”

I looked behind me, seeing Elijah’s steed breaking up the backdrop first. They seemed far away, but only the Goddess knew what their weapons were truly capable of.

Peter took off first, then Clover and Lucky launched forward at the same time. Though I wanted to talk to Soren, I couldn’t deny that a moment of freedom was much needed. Giving into the burn in my legs and the wind in my hair, I focused instead on staying in tune with Clover, channeling her instincts and the trust she had in her body.

The relief was short lived. When we arrived back at camp, we were ambushed almost immediately. Questions were lobbied at us from all sides, asking about Elijah, what he wanted, and even one brave soul who’d been at the pub the night before asked about Carson.

I’d had enough at that point. I found Freya in the crowd, giving her a panicked look.

She nodded once, clapping her hands together. “How about we let them get their horses cleaned up, okay? Stop staring.”

I had to smother a laugh by curling my lips together. As cheery as Freya was, everyone snapped to attention so fast they created a small wind in their wake.

Clover actually seemed to be taking care of me, nudging the water in my hand toward my mouth and licking the line of my hair, where I was sure the shorter pieces around my face were falling out of my braid.

I carefully took the flowers out of her mane, returning them to a bunch I would be taking back to the cabin and promptly putting in water, then brushed her quickly. Soren was dealing with the saddles.

Oh, and also, he wasn’t making eye contact with me.

Even though I knew it was because of me, because of what I’d kept secret, the Bond was pouting so severely it started to make me irrationally angry. I intentionally tempered my emotions, knowing it would do us no good to let the Bond’s petulance rule the conversation.

My hands were going slightly clammy as I realized I had cleaned Clover up the best I could.

We were also alone.

I turned to Soren, finding him looking at me with an unreadable expression. I expected him to start yelling.

Instead, he charged toward me and crushed me to him, placing his lips on my forehead. My eyes closed on instinct, falling into him when his comforting scent drifted up my nose.

“You are so brave,” he said against my skin.

“Wait, what?” I pulled back, blinking up at him.

Soren shook his head, while I searched his features for any sign of rage. He was looking at me like he was seeing me clearly for the first time. His hand came up to trace the perimeter of my face before settling in a comfortable hold at the hollow between my collarbones. “You found out your father was ignoring peace negotiations?”

I nodded mutely, still trying to wrap my head around what was happening.