Page 100 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

He muttered something under his breath, but I kept walking, letting the tension bleed off my shoulders. If he’d seen Solei, he’d have said something—I think. But still, I couldn’t shake the lingering unease.

By the time I reached the dining hall, the scent of sausage and fresh bread filled the air. My squad was already at our usual table, Riven waving me over.

“Where’d you disappear to?” she asked as I sat beside her.

“Just needed a minute,” I muttered, grabbing a chunk of bread.

Riven arched a brow. “You okay?”

Was I?The conversation with Solei, about the king’s private chambers, and the talk I’d overheard between Cordelle and Naia churned in my mind.

“Yeah,” I said, faking a smile. “I’m fine.”

But I wasn’t. And if I couldn’t figure out what was happening inside the castle soon, I was pretty sure things were about to get a lot worse.

Eilvin slid onto the bench a few minutes after I sat down, his face tranquil but too carefully blank. He kept his head down, stabbing at his food without making eye contact. Still, I noticed the way his gaze kept flicking to me from beneath his lashes, his thoughts practically thrumming in the air.

Eilvin leaned closer to Tae and muttered something low enough that I couldn’t hear. Tae’s gaze snapped to me, narrowed and sharp. He didn’t speak, just returned to his food like nothing had happened. But the tension thickened, winding through the air like smoke choking my lungs.

I tried to ignore it, but the easy banter and laughter that usually filled our table never came. The jokes between Jax and Tae were absent. Ferrula’s quiet comments, Naia’s teasing remarks—gone. Instead, there was only the sound of metalscraping against plates and the occasional cough. Every clink of a fork seemed too loud, every shift on the bench like a thunderclap.

By the time most of us had finished eating, my appetite had vanished completely. Tae wiped his hands on his pants and stood.

“Let’s head back to our room,” he said, voice tight. “We need a squad meeting.”

That wasn’t a good sign.

We filed out of the dining hall and made our way to the barracks. No one spoke. No one even glanced my way. I felt the weight of suspicion clinging to me like a second skin.

Once inside, we spread out on our bunks, the atmosphere thick with unspoken accusations. Tae stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed and face like a carved statue.

“Eilvin noticed a woman leaving our barracks before breakfast,” he said slowly, but edged with tension. “He asked around, and turns out she’s an Order courier.”

My stomach sank.

Tae’s gaze locked onto mine. “She was here to meet you.”

My pulse stuttered.Fuck.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing my voice to stay even. “She was.”

Tae’s face darkened. “You’re spying on us,” he said coldly, his voice low and full of accusation. “Reporting on us—and the dragons—to the Order.

I shot to my feet, anger flaring hot beneath my skin. “What? No. I would never?—”

“She’s an Order courier,” Tae snapped, eyes narrowing. “Here to seeyou. What else are we supposed to think?”

“Because she’s my sister!” The words exploded out of me before I could stop them. The room went dead silent.

Tae blinked. “What?”

I exhaled, shoulders slumping. “Solei... she’s my sister.”

“That assassin from the Order?” Riven asked carefully, her gaze sharp.

“Yes.” I forced myself to meet their eyes, to show I wasn’t lying. “Nobody can stop Solei from doing whatever the hell she wants. She showed up to check on me, that’s all.”

Naia’s face darkened with suspicion. “And what exactly did shesaywhile she was ‘checking on you’?”