Page 191 of Evermore

She was right, of course. But that didn’t make it any easier to leave, to pretend things were normal, to walk among people celebrating life when all I could think about was death. But that was the cost of a severed Treeis bond. No one knew it as deeply as Quill and I though.

“Another time,” I promised.

Thea sighed, rising to her feet. “We’ll save you some wine. And food. And maybe a small slice of joy, if you decide to come find us.”

I watched her walk away, copper hair gleaming in the sun, shoulders straight despite the weight she carried. She didn’t look back. She knew me too well for that.

The hours stretched as I remained, watching shadows lengthen across the paths, listening to the distant sounds of the castle. Eventually, I retreated to the small pavilion at the garden’s edge, settling into a cushioned chair with a book I’d spent too long trying to read and couldn’t get through.

Time slipped by in that peculiar way it had since Archer’s death—simultaneously too fast and too slow. The sun had begun to set when I heard a ragged gasping, the unmistakable sound of someone in pain. I set my book aside, already on my feet as Tuck came into view.

He was crawling, his massive frame bent and broken in ways that made my stomach clench. Blood matted his dark hair to his forehead, trailed from his nose, stained his torn shirt. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. His face was barely recognizable beneath the bruising.

“Gods. Tuck. What happened?”

He coughed, blood spattering the pristine white marble of the pavilion floor. “Ezra,” he managed, his voice a ragged whisper. “He has them. Underground. He’s—” Another cough, more blood. “He sent me to deliver a message.”

Cold dread washed over me. “Them? Who does he have, Tuck?”

“Mortals.” His good hand clutched at my arm with surprising strength. “In the Underground. He’s going to kill them all unless?—”

“Unless I come alone,” I finished for him, already knowing how these games worked. “Thorne’s with Quill at the orphanage.”

Tuck nodded weakly. “Ezra said if Thorne shows up, they all die instantly. Only you.” A bitter laugh escaped him, ending in another fit of coughing. “He said to tell you that you can handle this yourself. That you should look at your power.”

“Mocking me with my own words. Fucker.”

“We’ll go get Thorne. He’ll know what to do.”

“No.” I touched his arm, careful to avoid the worst of his injuries. “Ezra will be watching. If Thorne comes charging in, everyone dies, including Thea. Ezra can’t kill me, remember. But he can kill Thorne.”

“Then what?—”

“I go, like he asked. Alone.”

“That’s exactly what he wants!”

“I know.” I knelt beside him. “But I won’t be as alone as he thinks.”

I could see it in Tuck’s face, the determination to run straight to Thorne the moment I left. The certainty that he knew better than me what needed to be done. The stubborn, infuriating male protectiveness that would get everyone killed if I let him act on it.

“Tuck,” I said, making my voice honey-sweet, reasonable, the perfect bait for a bargain. “I need you to promise me something.”

Wariness crept into his eyes, but pain and desperation clouded his judgment. “What?”

“I need you to swear that you won’t tell Thorne where I’m going or what I’m doing.”

“I can’t do that. He’d never forgive me.”

“He’ll never know if everything works out.” I grasped his hand tighter. “Do we have a deal? Your silence in exchange for my best chance at saving everyone?”

He hesitated, torn between conflicting loyalties, between rationality and emotion. “If you give me a couple hours, I’ll heal. I?—”

“Swear it,” I pressed. “The mortal lives don’t have time for you to weigh the pros and cons. Bargain with me.”

“I swear,” he finally said, the words seeming to physically pain him. “On my power as a god, I won’t tell Thorne where you’re going or what you’re doing.” Power flickered between us as the bargain took hold. “But Paesha, you need to be careful. Ezra isn’t just angry. He’s desperate for revenge. And desperate gods are the most dangerous kind.”

Tuck reached into his pocket with his good hand, wincing at the movement. He pulled out a fistful of small metal pellets, pressing them into my palm. “Give these to her.”