Page 55

Evander

T he door to the washroom closes behind Bria. She whisked by me on her way in, something off in the way she kept her head ducked and avoided contact with me. I move to the chair in the corner of the room and tug on one of my black leather boots.

“What did you say to her?” I ask, my eyes narrowing at Quinn sitting comfortably on the edge of the bed, hands resting between his legs.

“Only that I’ve given up trying to keep you two apart,” he says, his lips tilting up.

“Good,” I respond, bending to lace up the boot.

“Oh, and that I could hear her through the door.”

Asshole . I grasp the other boot in my hand and fling it across the room at Quinn, eyes flaring.

He quickly ducks his head to the side, snatching the boot before it can hit him in square in the face.

I knew he said something to bother her, I just didn’t expect him to have said that .

Quinn doubles over, bursting out in a genuine laugh.

I try to remain angry, but a responding smile breaks across my face as he tosses the boot back to me.

“You’re a prick, you know that?”

“I’ve been called much worse,” Quinn replies.

He has. And mostly by me. I toss my head, gesturing toward the bed. “What’s in the bag?”

“Turns out the healer is Rayna’s sister, which makes me wonder what other secrets that woman is keeping. But it means this inn is not too keen on the priests nor the Crown. Rayna caught me this morning and handed me the bag. Said she knew who Bria was and she wanted to help.”

He reaches into the sack as he’s talking and pulls out two necklaces holding the mark of Vaohr.

The crystals of the emberstone spear reflect the light in the room, bouncing rainbows off every surface.

The sight of those necklaces makes my whole body go rigid.

The first thing I did when I fled the capital was rip the seal of Vaohr from the armor on my chest. I had sworn to never wear it again. Yet here it was.Mocking me.

“Nice touch,” Bria’s voice carries from the doorway and floats across my skin.

Her armor is strapped on, the bandolier fitted into place. Her hair is woven in a cascading braid that trails over her shoulder. She stands straight, shoulders back and arms linked across her chest. The sight of her dressed fully throws me off.

“You got your armor on by yourself?” I question, not realizing the healer’s magic was that potent, that powerful, to have her moving so well today.

She gives me a knowing smile and taps her shoulder where the arrow had pierced her skin.

“It’s just about healed. The pain is there but it’s lessened,” she begins, holding out her still-bandaged wrist. “The wrist still hurts, but I can move it today.”

I can’t help the beaming smile that contorts my face, the overwhelming joy I feel at seeing her own face free from pain.

I feared that if it came to combat while in the castle, she would be unable to hold a weapon.

Not that she’s going to need one. I’ll keep her safe at all costs and she still has her magic.

But it will be better if she has the option, and by the looks of it, she’ll be wielding at least a dagger by the time we get there.

Quinn stands from the bed, holding the necklaces in his hand. “That’s wonderful, Bria,” he says, and I notice the tone of relief in his voice when he tosses one of the necklaces to her.

She catches it easily, her body moving like it should, not jerky and aching like the night before.

Bria latches it behind her neck, careful to ensure the crest sits on the outside of her armor.

I wince, watching her bear the symbol of the people who hate her.

The people who will gladly use and kill her.

Quinn snatches the bag from the bed and strides over to me next.

Grasping my shoulder with his hand, his fingers dig in and he stares at me, his gaze piercing.

He holds out an open palm with the matching necklace sitting in the center.

The glinting crystals make my stomach curl and a familiar scent of burning flesh sears through my memory.

There’s no need for him to speak, to say anything to me about what this means.

Quinn understands how awful this is for me but I understand the gravity of our situation, and that I have no choice.

I cringe in disgust when I clasp the chain around my neck, leaving the crest on full display. Anyone who passes us will assume we are devoted to Vaohr. That’s the plan.

“Let’s get a move on then,” Quinn orders, moving toward the door. “We can eat on the way,” he says, tapping the bag in his hand.

Bria moves from the doorway of the washroom toward me, and I stretch out a hand for her.

She clasps it and immediately intertwines her fingers with mine, squeezing my hand tightly in her grasp.

We walk out the door together and slip through the back of the inn to the stable behind the building, careful to avoid the main area and any prying eyes that might try to glean who we are or where we are heading.

Bria climbs onto the horse in front of me and I hold her tight as we set off for the Gilded Forest.