Chapter Six
Evan in a Field of Glowing Things
Coffee and books made everything better. So did snuggles with Callum.
He lounged beside me on the couch, a book propped up on his raised knee and one arm around my waist. The only sounds came from the occasional log popping in the fireplace and the turning of a page.
Moonlight streamed into the parlor, adding a silvery glow to the dark corners the flickering firelight couldn’t reach.
Amazing how books provided the ultimate escape from life’s stresses.
Heroic protagonists, swashbuckling adventure, funny side characters that lightened the mood when shit got too angsty, and morally gray villains with tragic backstories and sharp jawlines you couldn’t help but fall for.
Even better when said villain was the love interest.
But as I caught a whiff of vanilla bean, I lost interest in the pirate from the story and instead focused on the hot-as-hell knight beside me.
“What are you reading?” I asked.
“A collection of war poetry.” He smoothed his hand down the page. “Written by soldiers on the battlefield.”
“Sounds sad.”
“Aye.” His smile reflected a bit of that sadness. “I relate to some of them. The pride while fighting by your brothers’ sides but also the grief that comes from watching them fall.”
Anxiety about my boys marching off to battle reared its ugly head again. “You should read with me instead. My book has a hot pirate captain.”
“If he’s hot, he should go for a swim. That will cool him off.”
And just like that, my adorable cinnamon roll of a knight chased away the nervous pangs in my stomach. Made everything feel lighter. “You’re a dork.”
He grinned. “But I got you to smile.”
“You always do.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “Do you think the mercenary is being questioned right now?”
“Aye.” He placed his hand at my nape and played with the strands of my hair. “Captain Vander and Sir Anton are overseeing the interrogation. Is that why you’re nervous?”
Callum read me so well. Saw beneath my shaky smiles.
I nodded. “Prince Sawyer said it’ll be an act of war if the king learns Haran hired the mercenary.” A lump formed in my throat. “I don’t want that.”
“Neither do I. However, should war be declared, we knights will do what we must.”
I felt sick.
An idea then took shape, one that terrified me. But as Callum cuddled beside me, his vanilla bean scent strong and the warmth of his arms around me even stronger, the need to protect him and Maddox outweighed any fear.
“What if King Eidolon knew Prince Sawyer wasn’t the true target? That he’d simply been mistaken for the one who was?”
Callum’s brown eyes narrowed. “Ev… you can’t be suggesting—”
“I am.” I closed my book and turned my body on the cushion, facing him. “Maybe that’s the key to avoiding war altogether. Me coming forward about who I really am.”
“No.” He swallowed hard and touched my jaw with a tremble in his hand. “If King Silas did hire Nocturne, revealing your identity would put you in danger. As Briar said, you could even be used as a peace offering. It’s not worth the risk. I’d fight a thousand battles if it meant keeping you safe.”
“But Cal, I—”
“Stick to baking your muffins, little treasure,” a raspy voice said from the corner before Rowan stepped from the shadows. “Being a hero doesn’t suit you any better than it suits me.”
“Ro.” I smiled on impulse, happy to see him. His expression, however, made that smile falter. “What’s wrong?”
The scent of peaches tickled my nose before Lake stepped into the parlor. Wood shavings flecked on his tunic, a sign he’d been whittling. Maddox and Briar followed closely behind him, both of them fresh out of the bath. The ends of Maddox’s black hair glistened, still damp.
“Good. You’re all here. Saves me the trouble of havin’ to repeat myself.” Rowan plopped down in the armchair near the window and kicked his feet up on the ottoman, withdrawing his flask. He flipped it open and took a hefty drink, his throat working as he swallowed long and deep.
“Ro?” My voice shook.
Much like his hand as he lowered the flask. “There’s a complication.”
“How so?” Maddox asked, crossing his arms. I’d learned it was a defense mechanism. Kept him grounded.
“The mercenary escaped.”
“What?” Briar’s mouth went agape. “That’s impossible.”
“Tell that to his empty cell.” Rowan took another swig, visibly shaken. A rarity for him; he masked his emotions nearly as well as Maddox. “One minute, he was being questioned, and then he was gone.”
“Explain.” Maddox’s jaw tightened. “How does a man just vanish from his cell?”
“It’s a good thing you’re pretty, oh mighty captain.” Rowan rolled his eyes. “There’s this thing called magic. Not sure if you’ve heard of it. It gives people the ability to do all sorts of marvelous—”
“Enough of the sass, thief,” Maddox snapped.
“Magic warding surrounded his cell,” Briar said, paler than usual. “Reign and I put it there ourselves. It prevented him from tapping into his mana and casting spells. So escape was impossible.”
“Then he had help.” Lake braced himself on the back of Rowan’s chair. “That’s the only explanation.”
“Wait.” My heart raced ninety to nothing. “Like someone in the castle helped him escape? But who would do that?”
“Perhaps another mercenary?” Callum’s arm tightened around me.
Maddox shook his head. “Security is too tight. Knights are patrolling every inch of the castle grounds. An outsider would’ve been detected.”
“You were watching the interrogation, correct?” Briar asked. “Hiding within the shadows to listen in?”
Rowan shook his head. “I was told to scout the lower district after Reign detected a trace of mana. When I returned to report to Captain Remy in the Tower, I heard of the escape.”
“Hmm.” I worried my bottom lip. “Kinda suspicious, isn’t it? You just so happen to be sent away on a patrol right when he’s being questioned? Then he escapes?”
“Suggesting that whoever helped him knew Rowan was listening in.” Maddox frowned at the floorboards, arms still crossed. The sleeves of his tunic were fighting for their life as his muscles tensed, pushing against the material.
“Could be a number of people,” Rowan said.
“Ever since becoming a member of the Secret Order, ironically enough, my movements aren’t so secret.
To the royal knights, anyway. Everything I do within the castle needs clearance.
Well. Almost everything.” His topaz eyes shifted to me.
“They can’t keep me from watching over a certain clumsy toad when he wanders around the castle grounds. ”
I was too nervous to spout off about the toad remark.
The mercenary had escaped. Meaning… he could’ve been anywhere within the kingdom.
Tracking me down. I rubbed at the center of my chest, my skin tingling at the memory of the fire spell slamming into me.
The electric currents in the air, followed by indescribable pain and the stench of charred flesh.
Lake dropped to his knees in front of me, a whine building in his throat. He rested his head on my chest. As usual, he’d sensed my anxiety.
“I’m okay.” I combed my fingers through his silky hair.
“For the moment, at least.” Briar focused on the window. “Given what you said of the attack and how he realized you were the real target once sensing your blood, it’s likely he’ll come here searching for you. To complete his mission.”
Callum shakily exhaled. “All the royal guards and First Order knights will be guarding Prince Sawyer tonight, completely unaware that the one who actually needs protecting is right here.” He turned into me, pressing his face into my hair.
“Let him try to hurt you again,” Lake murmured into my shirt. “I’ll rip him apart with my bare hands.”
“And with your teeth,” Rowan said. “Might even whack him with that poofy tail too.”
“No.” I felt my wolf smile. “I reserve the tail whacking for you.”
Rowan smirked. “Such an honor.”
Maddox stood quietly, gaze pinned to the front door. He glanced at the set of windows, toward the archway behind him, then back to the door, visibly strategizing a plan of action should something happen.
“So what do we do?” Nerves rolled in my gut. “Make a fort here in the parlor and keep watch all night?”
The skin around Maddox’s eyes tightened. “It’s not safe to stay here. Too many entry points.”
“Nor do we know the extent of the mercenary’s magical abilities,” Briar said. “If he’s a shadow mage like Rowan, no amount of secured doorways and locked windows will be enough to deter him from entering the cottage.”
A creak came from the front porch.
Lake snarled and flipped around, on his feet in an instant.
His nails had sharpened into short claws, and the fur of his tail stood on end.
Callum jumped up and put himself in front of me too, while Maddox grabbed his sword from where it rested against the wall and unsheathed it.
And Briar, who didn’t have a violent bone in his body, snatched a candle holder from the side table and neared our captain’s side.
Maybe not a practical weapon, but it would hurt like hell if used to clobber someone over the head.
As for Rowan? He’d vanished.
“Ro?” Panic squeezed my sternum.
Voices came from outside, low and indecipherable. Lake’s ears perked up before a knock came at the door.
“Open up,” Rowan called from the other side. “False alarm.”
Maddox stepped forward and opened the door. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Seems others were worried about our little treasure too,” Rowan said as he stepped across the threshold.
Two hooded and masked men trailed in behind him.
“Worry over the boy played no part in my decision,” Draven said, heavily accented. “It was Reign’s idea.”
“My idea, yet you agreed to it without even a moment of hesitation.” Reign’s mismatched eyes found me, the edges crinkling with a smile I couldn’t see. “Hello again.”
“Hi.” Nerves made my voice squeaky.
“Why are you here?” Maddox asked.
“For him.” Reign nodded to me.