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Leaf supposed he could rest without safety concerns if this event occupied the soldiers.
Exhaling, he asked, “Where can I take the horse? I assume the feed for beasts is allowed at any time, or are there rules for that too?”
Grung recited, “Beasts must stay harnessed and tethered close by. Beasts must be cared for if beasts are expected to last through battle. Beasts must be fed once daily at dawn and provided fresh water.”
The giant made it difficult for Leaf not to regret his decision to stay.
The captain turned to the waiting soldier and said, “Take the horse to the corral.”
Leaf stopped him. “I’ll keep my bag and weapons.”
He didn’t want Jackson Crimson’s journals getting into the wrong hands. While no specific prophecies were mentioned in the copies he had, information about Aleksandra and Maebh’s friendship with Crimson was detailed. This knowledge might help Leaf if the Unseelie thought their queen was a friend of the Prime’s, or it would sow distrust. Most of these imbeciles couldn’t read, but he didn’t want to take his chances. The fewer who knew, the better to retain the impartial reputation the Order had gained.
It was hard enough doing business in Seelie territory with Jasper wearing the Glass Crown.
Leaf slung his satchel over his shoulder and followed the soldier as he led the horse, but Grung barked, “Soldiers stay in camp.”
“I’m not your…” For fuck’s sake. “Where do I wait?”
“In camp. “As if it was obvious.
“Of course.”
Grung’s feral grin pronounced his underbite. “Now, I must finish washing for my future mate.”
What was the point? “You realize the hunt will make you filthy before you bed her.”
These mating hunts were common with less civilized fae and often involved competing males fighting and killing each other to get a competitive advantage.
Grung’s expression deadpanned as he processed Leaf’s comment. But it must have been too hard for his five brain cells to grasp because he ducked back into his tent, whistling a jaunty tune.
Leaf’s gaze lifted to the stars. “Blessed Well, give me the patience to last the night.”
Make this pause in my journey the right decision.
He exhaled and continued walking toward the large campfire at the center of the camp. He wasn’t sure why he expected the Well to answer him. It never did. But he had a habit of speaking or praying to it. Maybe it calmed him. Or helped him make sense of Elphyne’s idiotic inhabitants.
At least they hadn’t attempted to removeReckoningor recited a rule about weapons being left outside… but a glance showed most kept theirs close. These smaller raiding troops were Maebh’s specialty. Her strategy was to spread dissent throughout Elphyne, to harbor hatred for the Seelie, and to nip at their flanks. She liked to extend the pretense of hope—so she could laugh as she crushed it.
Leaf received a few sideways glances as he approached the fire. He should have found a quiet spot away from the commotion. It certainly would have been easier to pass the hours until his horse had rested, but something kept his boots headed in this direction. And the closer he got, the more this something presented as a magnetic pull. Why, he didn’t understand. All he found at the fire were three females being inspected like cattle.
He inwardly scoffed at the soldier’s desperation.
A growing sense of unease brushed over Leaf’s skin. Intuition pestered him. This same feeling had ridden his psyche since he left the Order. The worst part was this feeling made him distrust his own thoughts. His body did one thing. His mind wanted another.
Walking away from these females should have been easy, but his upper lip curled as a wolf shifter sniffed one of their crotches. She yelped and tried to shove him away but failed. Leaf stepped closer. His fists flexed at his side. You wouldn’t see elven soldiers lowering themselves to this sort of base, vile—he froze as the female with cascading brown hair turned in his direction.
A tremble ran through his body. His lungs seized. Never had he laid eyes on someone with such a visceral reaction. Something about her arrested every cell in his body, from her warm brown eyes and sun-kissed olive skin to the smattering of freckles on her button nose. Her lips were plump and rosy, and he couldn’t remove his eyes from them.
Leaf was not a male who made a fool of himself over beauty, but if he didn’t find a reason to turn away soon, a fool was precisely what he’d be.
Shewas where the magnetism originated. But why was she looking at him like they’d already met?
“Jace?” she exclaimed.
Fuck.
ChapterFive
