Chapter Twenty-Two Wilde #2
“Has everyone gawked enough?” Angelica drawled. “Can we move on to the important part? Namely, when exactly are we leaving on this quest?”
“We’re all here, we’ve got all our supplies, I’ve plotted the route to the Grimnight Forest. Why wait?” Fitz said. “We could leave this afternoon.”
Last time, I’d had to disguise myself as the Good Wizard to convince them their quest was urgent. Now they wanted to leave after only a few days of plotting? If they’d been this eager the first time, I wouldn’t have taken so many risks.
“Yes, please let’s get this over with,” Angelica said, hopping to her feet. “I feel like we’ve been dragging this out for months.”
Fitz looked between Trey and I, keeping his eyes on our faces and not the cuffs. “Do you plan to be connected the whole time?”
“Only until we arrive at the forest,” Trey said, as if it was a perfectly reasonable way to travel.
“That will affect the room assignments.” Fitz walked off, muttering plans to himself.
I stared at his back, dread and nervousness forming a noxious mix in my stomach. Would I have to share a bed with Trey?
So much for doing things in order.
We’d barely been in Fitz’s sitting room for five minutes before everyone separated again to pack. I eyed the cuffs as we walked, an idea already forming on how to get myself out of them. “It will take us twice as long to pack if we’re connected,” I said. “We should—”
“Delilah can pack your bags,” Trey said.
Delilah plunked her hands onto her hips. “Why are you volunteering me?”
“Because you handled the shopping yesterday anyway, so you know what stuff is his.”
“Oh, good point.”
I glared at her. Of all the times you couldn’t be stubborn? That plan fizzled out before it could spark, but it would have required Trey’s cooperation anyway, something he always delighted in withholding. If I wanted out of these cuffs before this quest began, I’d need to find another ally.
When we reached the guest rooms, Delilah split off into our suite while Trey pulled me into his.
“Back so soon?” Brendon asked, glancing up from his paperwork. He blinked when he saw our linked hands. “Oh, is that where they went?”
“Sorry, but I need them more than you right now,” Trey said before tugging me into his room.
I looked over my shoulder at Brendon, who arched a brow at me. “What’s the—”
Trey shut the door before I could finish asking for the command word. “Nice try,” he said with a smirk. “But they’re not going to tell you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. We’ll see about that. Surely if Rick brought the handcuffs with him, he meant to use them himself, not for his son to abscond with them. Though I’d have to find some way to speak to him without Trey interrupting again.
Packing while handcuffed to another person was as difficult as I’d anticipated. Eventually, I stopped trying to help Trey and simply sat on the bed and allowed him to treat my arm like a heavy accessory.
Occasionally, he shot my limp hand a guilty look, but he still didn’t unlock me.
Once everything was packed and ready to go, we returned to the sitting room, where Rick had joined his husband. His dark eyes sparkled with amusement as he spotted the cuffs, diminishing my hopes of finding an ally in him.
They casually chatted with their son as we walked out to the courtyard to meet the others. Asking about the quest, double-checking that he’d packed everything he needed, and assuring him things would be fine at home.
When we reached the waiting carriage, Brendon pulled his son into a hug. Attached as I was, I couldn’t give them any privacy, so I heard every word of Brendon’s goodbye. “No matter what happens, remember that your dad and I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Trey murmured.
Rick stood a short distance away, waiting for his turn to say goodbye. While Trey was distracted, I waved him over. This was my last chance to ask him for help.
He sauntered over to me, an innocent look on his face. “Would you like a hug too, Wilde?”
I stared at him, bewildered. “No. I just need the command word.”
His eyes dropped the cuffs, and his lips quirked. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”
‘Eventually’ wasn’t very helpful. “Don’t you want them back?”
“You can bring them back when you bring my son back in one piece.” A dangerous edge sharpened his smile.
A shiver went down my spine at the brief hint of darkness in the affable prince’s face. My former master had never quite mastered the art of a threatening smile. The best he could manage was a sneer.
The threat disappeared as quickly as it came, transforming into a more genuine smile as he pulled Trey into a hug and they exchanged their goodbyes.
Brendon caught my attention and offered his hand. I hesitated before shaking it, expecting another subtle threat. But while his grip was firm, it wasn’t bruising. “Be careful out there.”
Brendon and Rick’s love for Treasure radiated as bright as the sun, and as ready to burn anything that threatened him. Excising Brutus Arnulf from this dimension had been the right decision. Trey deserved to be loved without the complications of someone else’s plotting.
“I’ll keep him safe,” I promised.
Brendon stared at me thoughtfully for a moment before saying, “Thank you, but keep yourself safe too, alright?”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just nodded once.
After everyone finished their goodbyes, we climbed into the carriage. Since I hadn’t gotten the command word from Rick, Trey and I sat on the same bench again, with Delilah squeezed in next to us.
And our quest officially began.