Page 145

“Archie,” I murmur as I slowly grab the rope from him.

He watches me suspiciously. “What are you doing?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then I need you to leave,” I breathe.

“Are you out of your mind! I’m not leaving you alone with her!”

“Remember when I had to trust you not to kill me when you threw that dagger?”

He narrows his eyes, clearly not wanting to follow my lead.

I rest my hand over his, hooking his gaze with my own. “Now I need you to trust me. I need you to leave. You can stand guard at the door, but do not come in unless I call for you.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“You’re not leaving me.” My voice wavers. Because little does he know, I’m leavinghim.I shut down any lingering sadness with determination. “Stand outside the door, Archie.Now.”

The authority in my voice shakes him enough to release the rope to me.

He leaves reluctantly, pausing half-way out the door. “I’m right here if you need me, Kat! Right here. And don’t get any ideas, lady! You so much as threaten her, and I’ll knife you!”

Once the door shuts, I retrieve the dagger from my side. The rebel woman explodes into a hissing, flailing tornado.

“Shh, shh!” I try to whisper as I saw my blade through the rope. “Hold...still!”

The blade slices part of her skin with how much she wiggles. But the rope pops off her wrists, and she falls back from the newly found freedom.

Her mouth drops open before holding her trembling hands to her face, as if she doesn’t quite believe what I’ve done. “Why…why did you do that?”

“Fire incarnate. Flame in flesh. Blood of power,” I whisper, so softly I’m hoping she heard me.

She shakes her head, dropping her hands and looking at me. “Who the hell are you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I grab a clean rag and inch forward to her. “Will you let me help you?”

Her gaze flicks back and forth between the materials in my hands and my face. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“You do have a choice.”

“Then let me die. If the King gets his hands on me...my fate will be much crueler than bleeding out. Or suffering from infection.”

“I know. And that’s why I’m not going to let him. The King isn’t going to get his hands on you.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “What makes you say that? Why would you risk helping me?”

“Because I have a dragon.”

She coughs at the information, and I use the moment to close the gap between us and offer her the rag. She hesitantly takes it and wipes the blood off her face before pressing it to the wound in her forehead.

I continue, “You would be the last of my worries. We can help each other get to the Dragon Lands.” I hand her the vial Marge gave me earlier.

She takes it from me, eyeing the glass suspiciously. “Is this actually safe? How do I know to trust you?”

“You don’t. Sometimes, you just have to take a chance.”