“We hadn’t even decided if we wanted this,” Gareth says.
Lucien leans back in his chair arrogantly. “Come on. You two can’t stand the idea of anyone touching her. At least be honest with yourselves. What I said to our father is what we were all thinking. We want her. Not just for a night, but for always. We want her for ourselves.”
His words ring true to me, and I hate it. I hate that the guy I want to punch is saying all the right things. “You’re right. I don’t want anyone else with her.”
Gareth doesn’t mince words. “She’s mine.”
I stare at Lucien, watching his expression. “So it really wasn’t just about the sex for you?”
He doesn’t even hesitate. “No. I think I’m– I think I care a lot about her.”
Closing my eyes, I sit for a second, drinking all of this in, before opening my eyes once more. “So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan?” Lucien repeats back.
“When she comes back, with or without the Hollowborn, what’s the plan?”
Lucien answers with ease. “Even if the Hollowborn comes back with her, nothing will work out with them. We won’t ever have to share her with one of those assholes. So, we just have to wait until she comes back, make our intentions clear to her, and then marry the woman we want to marry.”
“You make it sound easy,” Gareth says, finally sounding a little less angry.
“It will be.”
I hesitate, then ask anyway. “And what if we do end up having to share her with the Hollowborn?”
Gareth’s lip curls. “We won’t let that happen.”
“No matter what?”
“No matter what.” Gareth looks at both of us. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” we both say.
But the thing is, I don’t know if we’re going to have much of a say. Once our father gets something in his head, it’s impossible to change his mind. And he definitely has this in his head. I guess we just have to hope the Hollowborn accept a deal, but not the peace marriage. Or that they just crawl back into whatever hole they crawled out of.
I mean, in all likelihood they won’t even meet her to hear the message. Everything they’ve done is probably just a game to them. Harper will return home safely to us, and then we can marry her and put this whole craziness to bed.
And I can finally fuck her all night long the way I’ve been wanting.
Screw Lucien. She’s mine.
Lucien hands out drinks again, and we all sit together once more. An uneasy peace stretches between us. I hope it will evolve once more into a real peace, because if we’re going to marry Harper, and wearegoing to marry her, we need her back here, safe and sound, away from the Hollowborn, and in my bed.
21
Harper
We landin the clearing on top of the mountain shaped like a thumb. It’s along the coastline, looking out at the wide ocean on one side and a sea of trees and mountains on the other. The wind has chapped my skin, and my legs are sore from clenching Ebron, but I’m otherwise fine. It’s midday, and the sun is warm against my skin, a pleasant feeling after the cold wind.
So, they’ll meet us here, I say to Ebron, sliding off his back and stretching my legs, but being sure to stay close to him, just like the princes advised.
I will not like being near the bone wyrms.
Me neither, I admit.
I can fight four or five of them and possibly survive, but protecting you from their poisons will be harder. I’ve never had to protect a human and fight before.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. We just stick to the plan. Stay close together. Don’t let them surround us. Deliver the message and get out.
