Page 107 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

And as the door shut behind me, I could feel his eyes lingering on my back like a blade that hadn’t finished its cut.

I winked at my squad as I stepped back into the hallway, their tense shoulders easing the moment they saw me alive and unshackled. Jax raised a brow, and Riven smirked, but none of them spoke. The silence said enough. We were all still waiting for the next shoe to drop.

What did he ask you?Zander’s voice slipped into my mind as naturally as breath as I passed him in the hallway.

About my family. About the mission to save Dorian. I told him the truth.I paused, remembering the look in the inquisitor’s eyes.He didn’t seem impressed.

I’m with him now,Zander replied, his tone clipped.He’s acting on orders from Theron, but what my brother told him was half-truths. Skewed just enough to make everyone suspicious. The inquisitor isn’t happy about it. He knows he’ll have to interview all of us, including Crownwatch. And it’ll be the same story from everyone.

I huffed, brushing a hand over my braid as I walked.Your brother’s a real snake. Are you sure he isn’t adopted?

Zander laughed in my mind, the sound dry and surprisingly fond.I wish. He was… better when my mother was alive. But things took a turn for the worse after she died.

I’m sorry about your mother,I said,but that isn’t an excuse for what he’s doing now.

I know.

The hallway curved before I exited the castle and made my way to the outer gate. Gerane stood there as always, his posture stiff, the ever-present scowl fixed on his face. His eyes scanned me like I was something dangerous wrapped in dragon leather.

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice low and clipped.

I stepped closer, lifting my chin. “Tell Solei to meet me.”

His gaze sharpened. “And why would I do that?”

I didn’t flinch. “Because I said so. But make sure she knows, if she tries to kill me again, she dieswithme.”

Gerane’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the twitch in his jaw, the flicker of surprise.

He turned and gestured toward the darkness, motioning to a commoner just inside the village boundary. The man approached, wide-eyed and wary, and Gerane bent down to whisper something in his ear.

The messenger nodded and took off at a run, disappearing into the tavern beyond the walls.

I folded my arms and waited, the weight of old blood and new threats coiling in my chest.

Solei would come. My sister assassin.

And this time, she’d find I wasn’t so easy to kill.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

The wind tore through the empty courtyard, cold enough to bite beneath my armor, rattling the old iron torches along the wall and whistling through the narrow stone arches. Midnight had long since passed, and the chill in the air settled into my bones like a warning.

I stood near the gate, arms crossed, eyes scanning the darkness beyond, but movement was scarce. Even the stars looked distant tonight. I yawned, jaw cracking slightly, exhaustion from the battle and the interrogation catching up with me now that the adrenaline had begun to fade.

Twenty minutes passed in silence before I saw her.

Solei moved like a shadow, her steps smooth, precise, calculated, even when not on a mission. She walked right past Gerane without even acknowledging him. He didn’t stop her, didn’t even look surprised. He knew better than to stand in her way.

Her long silver-blond hair was pulled into a tight braid down her back, but what caught my attention was the tunic, loose-fitting, worn, and plain. SomethingSoleiwould never wear if she were working. That alone told me this wasn’t a mission.

She stopped a few feet from me, crossing her arms.

“You look good,” she said, her tone softer than I expected.

I didn’t return the smile.