Chapter 15
The rough bark of the tree digs sharply into my temple, but repositioning myself would only make it worse. I’m barely managing to stay upright as it is. Through slitted, heavy eyelids, I watch the captain secure my broadsword to the sheath strapped to my mares—I mean, mare.
Gods, how many horses do we have? Six? Four? I could have sworn it was only two.
“You okay over there, princess?”
Cal calls out over his shoulder as I try to focus my vision on what I know to be true. We definitely only have two horses—and I’m riding one of them out of here.
Three steps away from the tree, the world flips upside down. No, not the world, me. I mentally brace myself for the hard impact of the ground that’s sure to follow. I didn’t notice any logs but I feel the long, steady press of them under my knees and across my back.
“Look at me,” Cal’s voice commands in my ear. I force my eyes open to find his face inches from my cheek and my body cradled tightly in his arms. “You overextended yourself. Control like that takes practice, Ivy.”
Gods, I love the way he says my name. Even without the current of magic in my veins overwhelming my senses, it’s … magic … wait … is this Cal’s confession that he knows about my power?
My tongue sticks dryly in my mouth, the question dying before I ever get my mouth fully open. Cal sits my feet gently on the ground, his strong arms never letting go of me for fear I might fall over again.
“Up you go,” he urges, helping to set my left foot in the stirrup before placing both hands on my ass and pushing upward.
Definitely not how I imagined that contact going for the first time.
Focus, Ivy.
Settling into the saddle, I glance to the left and see two caramel-colored mares with the end of a familiar emerald green cloak sticking out of their saddlebags. My cloak. My mare. Beside me.
The gray mount beneath me shifts as Cal braces a hand on the pommel and swings a toned leg up and over the horse's back, settling in behind the saddle’s cantle and wrapping his arms around me.
“What are … you … doing?” I force out shakily.
“Getting us out of here before those scumbag Deliverers decide to come looking for him and find you covered in his blood.”
Cal takes my shaking hand, covering my rust-stained skin with his as he entwines our fingers and pulls me tightly against him.
The horse begins her forward walk, my own riderless mare following alongside in perfect unison. The swaying motion lulls me closer to the edge of sleep.
Under the full heat of the afternoon sun and wrapped in Cal’s embrace, I drift towards the level of unconsciousness I’ve spent eighteen years chasing. Sweet, dreamless rest.
The wind whispers softly in my ear, granting me permission to fall endlessly into the awaiting slumber.
“Sleep now. I’ve got you.”
“Ivy.” Cal’s voice cuts through the hazy fog of sleep. “Wake up, princess.”
His days-old stubble scrapes against my cheek as he gently nudges me awake. The last light of day filters in through the heavy tree cover as I slowly open my eyes.
We’ve ridden deep into the woods. Dense pine and spruce crowd around us, seamlessly connecting to the boulders that make up the top of the rocky outcropping no doubt meant to conceal us from unwanted visitors.
Cal lightly squeezes my hand, drawing my attention to our still entwined fingers. Embarrassment heats my cheeks as I jerk my hand from his hold.
Oh gods.
I actually fell asleep in his arms. And worse, I didn’t dream.
The captain dismounts rather gracefully considering his awkward seating position. If he’s hurting from riding uncomfortably for hours, he doesn’t show it. An icy chill runs down my spine at the loss of his heat, prompting Cal to grab my cloak from my saddlebag.
“You’re safe here. I promise.”
One look into his eyes and I know he means it. I fasten the cloak around my shoulders, ignoring Cal’s waiting hand for a few moments longer. My fingers are stiff, still coated in the dried, cracked blood of my attacker. Magic tingles back to life in my veins as the memories come rushing back to me.
“I would have done it,” Cal’s voice interrupts my spiraling thoughts, “ripped him limb from fucking limb while he begged for death. If he had hurt you, Ivy …”
His pained voice trails off but the dark, reckless side of me stirs at his violent threat. The dark magic was sated, so why does it wake at the promise of danger on his lips?
Tired of waiting, Cal grabs my hand and tugs gently, indicating that he’s not moving until he helps me out of this saddle.
“I can do it,” I protest.
If I was a different woman, one who hadn’t been discounted and underestimated for years, I might let him sweep me off my feet, might let him carry me to the place he intends to camp. But dismantling my pride is too big a mountain to climb tonight.
“And here I thought you’d at least need dinner before you had the strength to sass me again.”
Cal steps back, hands raised in acceptance, allowing me the space to dismount. My knees wobble under the full weight of my exhausted body, but I don’t stumble in front of him.
“I can sass you in any condition.” My stomach rumbles loudly and I clamp a hand across my midsection to stifle it. “Though, dinner would be nice.”
A teasing smile tugs up the corner of his mouth before Cal turns and rummages through his saddle bags.
Dried meats and a metal flask fill his hands when he takes his seat beside me on the downed log.
He unscrews the lid, taking a deep drink from the container before passing both to me.
The woody, caramel scent of whiskey immediately invades my nose.
“Are you trying to get me drunk, Captain?”
“I thought it might take the edge off the day, princess. But if you don’t want it …” Cal reaches for the flask and I quickly press it to my lips and take a deep pull.
The laugh that tugs his mouth into a boyish smile warms me more than the whiskey.
There’s no fire, and in the dying light of day, as shadows dance through the evergreen branches of the forest, Cal is devastatingly handsome.
Beautiful like the deadly blooms my magic is so fond of conjuring.
The more I am sucked into his orbit, the closer I come to falling headfirst into an oblivion from which I know I will never recover.
“How did you learn to fight like that?” Cal asks.
“What makes you think I’m not god-blessed? Maybe I’m a natural born fighter,” I tease.
Cal rolls his sparkling silver eyes. “Military captain, remember? I know training when I see it.”
I take my time chewing the tough, salty meat before answering, debating how much of the truth I want to divulge tonight. I owe him a sliver at the very least, but allies are supposed to trust each other and he needs to know what waits for us.
“Nick Adler, the son of my father’s master-at-arms, taught me. He trained with his father and the Emerald infantry during the day and then we trained at night to keep it a secret.”
“He didn’t want anyone to know he was training you?”
“I didn’t want anyone to know,” I confess. “Men and women are not permitted to only be sparring partners. You know as well as I do that every noble in our region would have been convinced we were fucking if they knew.”
Cal tenses beside me slightly before taking the whiskey and downing a healthy amount. I should put him out of his misery and tell him truthfully that nothing happened between me and Nick.
I should, but I won’t.
“It took me weeks of secret meetings to find anyone I trusted enough for the task. It turns out that no one wants to actually fight their region’s heir and risk accidentally maiming them.”
“But Nick did?” Cal asks.
“Nick has always had a thing for my best friend. He agreed to train me and keep quiet about it as long as Quinn promised to attend the lessons. A win for prideful men, everywhere.”
I wonder what the new Lady Quinn fucking Adler would she think of me now—falling asleep in the godsdamned arms of the Captain of Corinth after brutally murdering a man.
It’s my turn to take a long drink of whiskey.
“You’ve told me how, now tell me why.” Cal’s gray eyes lock onto mine despite my best efforts to avoid them.
“Self defense,” I reply mechanically. The same excuse I gave my father when he inevitably found out.
“That wasn’t defensive,” he scoffs. “Nick taught you to kill. Tell me why.”
“The governors summits are always a giant spectacle. Really a huge waste of money if you ask me.” I take another deep drink before continuing.
“It was hosted in Emerald when I was sixteen. At the time, I was head-over-heels for a pathetic boy who did not deserve my affection. We snuck off from the penultimate ball and got drunk on each other … and a stupid amount of wine.”
I steal a glance toward Cal, his rage-filled glare forcing my attention elsewhere quickly.
“To this day, I swear I was in complete control … until I woke up on the stairs, my face bruised and bloody and no recollection of the past two hours. I ran straight for my father’s study, but I couldn’t make myself go inside.
The assembly was scheduled to vote the next day to send a joint decree to the King demanding education for girls in all regions, regardless of status.
My father was the decree’s biggest champion and he had spent every second of the summit trying to convince each governor to vote in favor.
I knew that an accusation like this would steal his attention and derail the vote …
and the girls of Corinth needed him more than I did. ”
Deafening silence fills the camp, the very last light of day disappearing completely from view. Cal’s eyes bore into me even in the dark. I don’t need light to feel the utter rage that ripples off him.
“And this … boy,” he says, every word laced with violence, the distinct crunch of metal sounding from his fist. “He’s an heir.”
With a single assumption, Cal has narrowed every male in Corinth down to three individuals. And with a little bit of thought, I’m positive he’ll single out the offender easily.
Just in time for us to ride into his city.
Gods, I wish he hadn’t crushed that flask.