I crossed my arms. “Or?”
A smile curved at the corners of his mouth, a feline twinkle in his eyes. “Or you’ll believe me when I tell the truth. Thorne is a shapeshifter who tracked me to the encampment and followed me here. That’s how he’s got past your Vangar. He’s a loyal friend. Neither of us are spies.”
My body went rigid. A shapeshifter?
I’d heard of people born with that gift—much like my ice powers—but never met one. I narrowed my eyes, my mind racing. “That’s convenient. Almost too convenient. How exactly do you expect me to believe this, Rykr, when you’ve given me nothing but riddles and half-truths since the moment we met?”
“He comes from a long line of berserkers.” Rykr crossed the room toward the sole chair and sat, stretching his legs out in front of him. With Rykr and Ciaran in here, the tight quarters felt suffocating.
Berserkers. Then he could turn into … I startled, my eyes flying to Rykr’s. “He stole the prince’s body, didn’t he?”
Rykr held my gaze, his expression unchanging, then dipped his chin in a subtle nod.
The blood drained from my face as I processed what the Lirien’s presence meant for Rykr—both for his future here and for the real reason he’d been in the forest the day we’d met.
Ciaran cleared his throat, as though his own thoughts were equally muddled. The sharp sting of blame tore through me, and I slipped toward him, taking his hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Ciaran.”
He released a bitter laugh, his voice breaking. “Didn’t I? I’ve broken my oath, Seren. Everything we stand for—the laws that keep us safe—I violated. How do I face the Vangar after this? How do I face myself?”
I stood on my tiptoes as I embraced him tightly. “I never should have put you in this position.”
Amahle stepped toward us and set her hand on Ciaran’s shoulder as I pulled back. “The Vangar may be rigid, but you’re more than your oaths, Ciaran. Seren proved that when she saved Rykr, and you proved it today. Laws mean nothing if we lose ourselves trying to uphold them. Turning the Lirien or Rykr in would be disastrous, not only for Seren but for our tribe. The people in Emberstone protect themselves, and they don’t have to face the same moral dilemmas that we do. Maybe it’s illegal, but conscience matters.”
Then Amahle turned toward Rykr, her face hardening. “That doesn’t mean you’ve done anything to bolster our confidence in you. Seren could have been arrested today and meanwhile, you were out jeopardizing her life. Needlessly. What was so important that your friend risked coming into Emberstone for?”
The uneasy shift through the bond made my chest tighten as I turned to look at Rykr.
“To try to convince me to return to Pendara. The Regulation is charging me with abandonment of my post,” Rykr said smoothly.
Too smoothly.
“You’re lying,” I hissed.
He crossed one ankle over his knee and held my gaze, unflinching, unwilling to admit anything. Then he tilted his head. “What was that about Seren being arrested today?”
I bit my lip, cringing. Dammit, Amahle. “It’s nothing.”
He raised a brow. “Clearly it’s not.”
“We … just had a brush with a guard. A misunderstanding,” Amahle cut in, exchanging a look with me.
“And what does that mean?” Rykr’s voice was hard. “Guess neither of us is innocent, right?”
I flinched then glanced at my friends. Much as I appreciated their willingness to be here, I’d dragged them into something that could get them killed.
And right now, I needed to talk to Rykr without them. “Can you both leave us?”
Amahle’s lips twitched. “Come on, Ciaran.” She grabbed his hand. “We don’t want to get caught in the middle of a marital spat.” She tugged him out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her. I locked it, not looking at Rykr, my body tense.
“What happened?” Rykr’s voice was clipped. Angry even.
I turned toward him, feeling his irritation through the bond. It fed my own anger. “Smug bastard.”
“I heard that.”
“I meant for you to.”
“Good.”
