“There’s a ton of money here, Marin. I always knew Gavin had loot stashed from his previous hunts, but this is more than I could spend in a month. And I have very expensive tastes. Are you sure he said he’s doing this for the gold?”
“It’s called greed, Cass. Men like Gavin don’t know when to stop,” I wrenched open the merchant’s door hard enough to make it shudder. “But he made a mistake giving me that much. We’re going to spendevery single coin.Who knows, maybe Gavin has an account here. I might charge a little extra.”
Cass snickered as she followed me inside. “That answers my next question. Your meeting with the enemy went well? Didhe twirl his mustache?”
“Very funny. I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”
“The two of you have always been entertaining.”
“Entertaining?” I scoffed. “We’re going to kill each other, Cass, and probably burn down an entire realm while we do it. I can’t work with him. He’s too—”
I stopped short, remembering Gavin kneeling on the roof, hammer in hand, wearing nothing but a pair of worn trousers. I let out a curse and dropped my head into my hand.
The worst part? I’d imagined that same scene hundreds of times before everything went to ruin. Gavin, fixing up my house. But we weren’t enemies in those fantasies. Far from it.
Ugh, I am so screwed.
“He’s too full of himself,” I finished. “And I can’t trust him.”
Or myself.But what choice did I have? He’d backed me into a corner, and the only way out was up a magic vine withhim.
Unless I came up with a plan in the next few hours, I was stuck. And how was I supposed to steal the seeds while he was wearing them?
I had to hand it to him. Wearing the seeds the way he used to wear his compass was a slap in the face, but gods, it was bloody brilliant.
I approached the counter and slid Gavin’s list to the owner. “Two of everything listed here, please.”
Then I strolled to the back of the shop and picked out a new pair of boots. The most expensive pair I could find.
Cass followed me, plucking clothes off the shelves and throwing them over her arm. “At least you’ll be wearing this very fine tunic while you’re killing each other. Oh, look! This one's silk, and it’s blue. Matches your eyes.”
She tossed me both tunics, followed by a pair of sheep-skinned leggings. I ran my fingers over the soft fabric.
“Get a pair for yourself, too. They’re very cozy.”
I only needed enough gear for two weeks. Beyond that was wishful thinking. But I had a fortune to spend, and enough pettiness to fill my basket, and Cass’s too.
Still, my mind wandered uncontrollably to Gavin’s “evening plans.”
Was he seeing someone specific? Or did the woman change depending on the day of the week?
I stared absently at a display of polished daggers, imagining him laughing with some redhead over wine and a plate of roasted lamb. He’d charm her with stories of his hunt. She’d fall for it, and all over him.
My stomach burned.
Who was I kidding? Working together was aterribleidea. Why couldn’t he see that? The arrangement had worked in the past, but that was when I could still bury my emotions where Gavin was concerned. Now? I wavered endlessly between distrust, certain he’d stab me in the back again, and jealousy! Not just over his evening plans, but over the life he’d built that didn’t include me.
Finding the shard had to be my focus. I couldn’t do that with my rioting emotions. Gavin had already proved it by pointing out how obviously unprepared I was. I’d stopped thinking clearly.
If I went with him, I’d constantly be looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to turn on me. Or worse, misreading his flirtation and falling hard enough to fool myself into thinking I was special. That I was different from all the rest.
I made that mistake years ago. And then I go and nearlyrepeat history at the ball.
No. I needed a plan. Trusting Gavin once had cost me everything. Trusting him twice could cost my life.
I moved past the display of daggers and found the answer to my problem. A simple pair of iron shackles, locked with a key. Ironic, really. He was the one who’d first suggested chaining me up. You could even say I was just learning from the best.
“What do you need those for?” Cass asked, eyeing the shackles. “Planning to take a hostage on your hunt?”
