Page 32 of The Frost Witch (The Covenants of Velora #1)

He waited until I’d been asleep for well over an hour.

I did not know Garrick well enough to detect his tells, if he had any at all.

But that disadvantage worked both ways. He did not realize I was feigning sleep.

Not because I did not trust him, but because I couldn’t handle another argument. All I wanted was silence.

As for the existence of trust between us…

I trusted that Garrick cared about his own life enough to protect mine.

Whoever or whatever had pushed him through the gates only bolstered that motivation.

If he was feeling reckless with his life, there were easier ways to die in Velora than the Seven Gates.

But apparently that feeble trust was not returned, because once he felt certain I was asleep, he snuck away into the woods.

And because the Dark God had a well-known appreciation for torture, he started hiking up the mountain, rather than down it.

I dragged myself up, leaving the thick cloak behind.

Its heavy layers caught too easily on the forest brambles.

My body protested the exertion as we hiked up the mountain, reminding me rudely that I’d hardly eaten in the last day.

Despite my boasts to Garrick earlier, the only reserves I had when I got hungry were temper and sass. A winning combination.

But I pushed on, moving as quickly as I dared.

Little puffs of snow softened my footsteps, a slow but steady release of power that actually felt soothing rather than draining.

I used my power only because without it, Garrick would have caught me in a second.

We climbed for nearly an hour. I was ready to give in and start the trudge back down the mountain when I heard voices.

Garrick had snuck away to meet with someone.

A few careful steps to conceal myself behind a tree later, and I recognized the voice. He’d gone to all this trouble to meet with Alize.

Fae bitch.