Page 30

Marin

I lasted two whole days before I caved. There was no getting around it. Gavin had moved his chess piece, and if I wanted the seeds, I needed to play along and take my turn.

Even Cass was fed up with me. She kept glancing at her sundial with exaggerated sighs as if I wasn’t painfully aware my time on land was slipping away by the minute.

She’d shot down every plan I’d crafted to steal the seeds back, pointing out the flaws and the very real possibility that I'd have to take them by force.

And while I had no problem pointing a dagger at his throat—I’d enjoyed it immensely. Still dreamed about it. And, much to my horror, the tempting events that had led up to it. But when it came down to actually using the dagger, I hesitated. I was getting soft when I should be merciless.

So fine. If Gavin wanted to tag along on a treacherous hunt, let him. I could always push him off the vine or keep my fingers crossed for a pack of wild beasts that liked to prey on liars.

Shifting the weight of the pack on my shoulders, I trudged up the cobblestone path toward my former home. The late morning sun was already sweltering, and I tilted my head to catch the ocean’s salty breeze on my neck.

I found myself doing that every chance I got. Soaking in the sun, letting the warm air wash over my skin. Just breathing. It was the nights that were hardest. Lying in bed, I had to remind myself I wasn’t back inside my cell. That every creak and groan wasn't a threat.

I used to love the night. But now, it was hard to sleep without an open sky. I needed the stars overhead and the quiet hum of crickets to ease my mind. I wondered if it would always be this way, or if I’d ever truly feel safe again.

Climbing the front steps, I stopped and stared at the door, summoning the nerve to knock. With a scoff, I reached for the handle. This was my house. Gavin was the trespasser. My fingers closed over the knob, only to pause at the sound of hammering.

It was coming from around back.

Leaving the door, I waded through the overgrown weeds along the side of the house. I lifted a hand to shield my gaze from the sun and found Gavin perched on the slope of the single-story roof covering the solarium. He was crouched on one knee, holding a hammer—shirtless.

I’d obviously been an evil person in another life to deserve the punishment in this one.

Sunlight bathed his tan skin, glistening with sweat. The corded muscles in his back flexed as he drew back the hammer, concentration lining the sharp angles of his face. But my gaze didn't stay on his face. It slid slowly down the line of his chest, to the firm ridges of his abdomen.

Great. As if I needed another opportunity to make more bad decisions.

I dropped my pack at my feet and found a small rock. Rolling it in my hand for a moment, I aimed and hurled it onto the roof. Gavin's head snapped up, the hammer still poised in mid-air.

I plastered on a worn smile. “Gosh, I sure hope you don’t step on a rotted board and fall to your death.”

And just like that, I had to squint against the intensity of his gaze. His mouth curled slightly. Tousled hair fell into one eye as he dipped his head and leaned on the metal end of the hammer.

“Are you saying you wouldn’t catch me?” Gavin tsked, shaking his head. “What a shame. I’d catch you.”

“That’s funny. I seem to remember gravity being stronger than you on the ship.”

That knocked the cockiness right out of him.

His jaw clenched. The hammer's handle creaked beneath his grip. Then, with a muttered oath, he rammed the wooden end into the roof and pushed to his feet. His boots thudded against the ladder as he descended.

I lifted my chin as he prowled toward me, weeds choking beneath his boots.

“That was a low blow, Mare.”

“So was stealing the seeds. Give them back.” My gaze stalled on the leather strap around his neck. A small pouch hung from it, resting against his chest. I let out a bitter breath. “Are you wearing them?”

He looped his finger through the strap and winked. “Like you so viciously pointed out at the ball, I should wear something to replace my compass.”

“You’re despicable.”

“Ah, and here I was admiring the way the sunlight catches your hair.” He moved slowly, hooking his thumbs into his belt buckle, full of smug confidence.

I snapped my gaze up before I got caught looking. Too late. His smile widened.

“Or how your eyes sparkle like gemstones when you want to wring my neck.”

I inhaled deeply, trying to slow my racing heart. It fluttered one second, then burned into a hate-fueled blaze the next.

This was absurd. We’d flay each other alive on this hunt. And I wasn’t sure either of us would be left standing by the end of it.

Why did he do it? Why couldn’t he have left me alone?

I needed to get this over with before I changed my mind and stormed back to Cass’s place empty-handed with nothing but wasted time and an eyeful of upper body perfection. Neither of which was getting me any closer to completing my mission.

Glaring at the seeds strung around his neck, I forced my teeth apart. “I’ve considered your offer. And since I have less than two weeks to find the shard… and no proper plan of retaliation,” I muttered the last part under my breath. “I accept your terms.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.”

I folded my arms, a silent question burning like coal in my throat. He owed me an answer.

“Why are you doing this?” I meant to sound forceful, but the words came out soft, and laced with misery.

Gavin swallowed, his eyes unfocusing somewhere over my shoulder. The breeze rippled through his hair, and for a long moment, he said nothing. Then he shrugged.

“Treasure, of course. I have it on good authority that the shard isn’t the only riches hidden inside that castle. It’s been a while since my last hunt.”

“Gold.” My eyes stung. I looked up at the sky so he wouldn’t see. “The only thing you love more than yourself. I should have guessed.”

“Yeah.” He kicked at the grass and squared his jaw. “A thief’s gotta eat.”

“Fine. I want to leave immediately. Today. The faster we get up there, the faster we go our separate ways.” I grabbed the bag at my feet. “Just so we're clear. We’re not partners. We’re just going in the same direction.”

Gavin eyed my pack, the borrowed clothes, and the boots that pinched my feet.

“Can’t today. I have plans this evening.”

I threw up my hands. “You have plans? Let’s not let a silly thing like saving my life get in the way of your drunken debauchery. How about next week? Maybe a month from now, when I’m already dead. Would that be more convenient for you?”

Gavin didn’t answer. He walked toward the ladder where a bag sat in the dirt. From it, he pulled a heavy-looking pouch and a folded piece of paper, then offered both to me.

“Come back tonight. We’ll organize our gear and leave at first light. In the meantime, here’s a list of what I need. Feel free to grab a few extra things for yourself. Boots that fit would be a good start.”

He dropped the pouch of coins into my hand, and I scowled. “You expect me to do your shopping while you’re off gallivanting in a tavern?”

Gavin’s expression hardened as he leaned in, voice scraping across my nerve endings. “I expect you to be prepared for this hunt, Marin. Not showing up in Cass’s hand-me-downs. You want to leave quickly? Good. So do I. Then do it right, or I’ll chain you up and go by myself.”

I swallowed my retort, bristling at his taunting threat. He wasn’t wrong. And I hated that. I was cutting corners, rushing, when slowing down and thinking through each step was the safer choice. The right choice.

Then again, if we fail, all Gavin loses is some gold. I lose my life.

“I’ll be back tonight,” I said, tucking the pouch into my bag. “You better be ready. And if you smell like liquor and cheap perfume, I swear, you’ll regret it.”

Gavin waved as I stalked through the grass. “So glad we came to an understanding. Oh, and it’s not on the list, but maybe buy me an extra shirt. That way, you’re not so distracted next time.”

I seethed at his parting words.

He was going to pay for that.

***

Cass dumped a handful of coins into her palm and peered into the bottom of the bag.

“There’s a ton of money here, Marin. I always knew Gavin had loot stashed from his previous hunts, but this is more than I could spend in a month. And I have very expensive tastes. Are you sure he said he’s doing this for the gold?”

“It’s called greed, Cass. Men like Gavin don’t know when to stop,” I wrenched open the merchant’s door hard enough to make it shudder. “But he made a mistake giving me that much. We’re going to spend every single coin. Who knows, maybe Gavin has an account here. I might charge a little extra.”

Cass snickered as she followed me inside. “That answers my next question. Your meeting with the enemy went well? Did he twirl his mustache?”

“Very funny. I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”

“The two of you have always been entertaining.”

“Entertaining?” I scoffed. “We’re going to kill each other, Cass, and probably burn down an entire realm while we do it. I can’t work with him. He’s too—”

I stopped short, remembering Gavin kneeling on the roof, hammer in hand, wearing nothing but a pair of worn trousers. I let out a curse and dropped my head into my hand.

The worst part? I’d imagined that same scene hundreds of times before everything went to ruin. Gavin, fixing up my house. But we weren’t enemies in those fantasies. Far from it.

Ugh, I am so screwed.

“He’s too full of himself,” I finished. “And I can’t trust him.”

Or myself. But what choice did I have? He’d backed me into a corner, and the only way out was up a magic vine with him.

Unless I came up with a plan in the next few hours, I was stuck. And how was I supposed to steal the seeds while he was wearing them?

I had to hand it to him. Wearing the seeds the way he used to wear his compass was a slap in the face, but gods, it was bloody brilliant.

I approached the counter and slid Gavin’s list to the owner. “Two of everything listed here, please.”

Then I strolled to the back of the shop and picked out a new pair of boots. The most expensive pair I could find.

Cass followed me, plucking clothes off the shelves and throwing them over her arm. “At least you’ll be wearing this very fine tunic while you’re killing each other. Oh, look! This one's silk, and it’s blue. Matches your eyes. ”

She tossed me both tunics, followed by a pair of sheep-skinned leggings. I ran my fingers over the soft fabric.

“Get a pair for yourself, too. They’re very cozy.”

I only needed enough gear for two weeks. Beyond that was wishful thinking. But I had a fortune to spend, and enough pettiness to fill my basket, and Cass’s too.

Still, my mind wandered uncontrollably to Gavin’s “evening plans.”

Was he seeing someone specific? Or did the woman change depending on the day of the week?

I stared absently at a display of polished daggers, imagining him laughing with some redhead over wine and a plate of roasted lamb. He’d charm her with stories of his hunt. She’d fall for it, and all over him.

My stomach burned.

Who was I kidding? Working together was a terrible idea.

Why couldn’t he see that? The arrangement had worked in the past, but that was when I could still bury my emotions where Gavin was concerned.

Now? I wavered endlessly between distrust, certain he’d stab me in the back again, and jealousy!

Not just over his evening plans, but over the life he’d built that didn’t include me.

Finding the shard had to be my focus. I couldn’t do that with my rioting emotions. Gavin had already proved it by pointing out how obviously unprepared I was. I’d stopped thinking clearly.

If I went with him, I’d constantly be looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to turn on me. Or worse, misreading his flirtation and falling hard enough to fool myself into thinking I was special. That I was different from all the rest.

I made that mistake years ago. And then I go and nearly repeat history at the ball.

No. I needed a plan. Trusting Gavin once had cost me everything. Trusting him twice could cost my life.

I moved past the display of daggers and found the answer to my problem. A simple pair of iron shackles, locked with a key. Ironic, really. He was the one who’d first suggested chaining me up. You could even say I was just learning from the best.

“What do you need those for?” Cass asked, eyeing the shackles. “Planning to take a hostage on your hunt?”

I dropped the shackles into my basket and faced her. “I’m going to leave the key on the front porch. Come check on him in a couple of days. Don’t worry. I’ll leave him food and water… but just in case I don’t come back.”

Cass’s brow furrowed in horror. “No, Marin. This is not the way. I thought you guys worked things out.”

I hesitated for half a second before shaking my head. “It’s too much of a risk. I worked alone for years. I’m good at it. Besides, Gavin started this by stealing the seeds right out from under me.”

“Marin—”

“Leave it, Cass. And promise me you won’t warn him. I need your word this time.”

Cass paced away, her hands fisting in her hair. “I hate this. And your plan is going to blow up in your face. Just you wait.” She whirled, jabbing a finger between us. “If you think Gavin won’t follow you and chase you down, you have not been paying attention.”

She let out a mocking laugh. “But you two have to work this out on your own. I won’t tell him. And I can’t believe I’m saying this. But consider this your head start. And you better run. ”