Page 72 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

Theron never did anything unless it benefited him, which meant whatever this delay was, it wasn’t just bureaucracy.

It was a trap waiting to be sprung.

And we were all caught in it.

Chapter

Sixteen

The knock on the barracks door came just as I was lacing up my boots. It was early with gray light filtering in through the narrow windows, and the scent of warmed ration bread drifting from someone’s satchel. Jax was in the middle of pulling on his pants, clearly not expecting visitors.

The door creaked open without a second knock.

Remy stepped inside, glancing around the room with that same pinched disapproval he wore like a second uniform. His eyes landed on Jax. “Do you always change in front of the women?”

Jax raised a brow, utterly unbothered. “Every morning.”

“Remy, stop,” I said sharply, standing. “Tae, Jax, Ferrula, Naia, and Riven always let me and Cordelle use the washroom first. Don’t you dare speak to him like that.”

He blinked, clearly surprised by the snap in my voice. His gaze flicked around the room again, eyes pausing on Ferrula as she pulled on a shirt without ceremony. He quickly looked away.

“One washroom?” he muttered. “Didn’t this used to be a supply room?”

“So I hear,” I said flatly, crossing my arms. “What do you want?”

Jax smirked behind him as he tugged his shirt over his head, clearly enjoying Remy’s discomfort.

“I’ve been instructed to bring you on a recon mission,” Remy replied, stiff. “May we discuss it outside?”

I didn’t answer. I just walked past him, grabbing my cloak from the wall hook. As I passed Naia, she leaned in and whispered, “Asshole.”

I smiled at the truth of it.

Outside, the air was crisp with morning fog curling low across the training grounds. Remy opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, I pressed my finger firmly into his chest.

“If you ever act that way toward my squad again,” I said, low and dangerous, “I will never speak to you again. Ever.”

His eyes widened slightly, but I didn’t stop.

“They are my family, Remy. The only one I have now. When everyone else walked away or turned their back on me, they fought for me. They bled with me. They stayed.”

His jaw ticked, the muscle along it flexing hard.

Then he gave a single, short nod.

“Understood.”

I crossed my arms, still simmering from his earlier behavior, but my curiosity was already dragging me into the storm of whatever he was about to say.

“What’s the mission?”

Remy exhaled through his nose, eyes shifting to the horizon. “There’s a fae artifact. One the old Light clans used during the wars. It allows the user to listen in on the Blood Fae. Hear their whispers across the wards.”

My brows lifted. “That’s… impossible.”

“Not with the right magic,” he said. “But it takes a specific kind of power to activate it.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Let me guess. A Storm Reaper.”