My wolf growls in my mind, and I shrug. “I have no other ideas. If… if it doesn’t… I’ll have to ask Rose to charm me. Maybe she can charm the wolf into going back to how it was.”
I don’t want to tell her—and not just because my pride stings at the thought. Rose has a soft heart. She’ll blame herself when she shouldn’t.
Bree comes to sit beside me, not touching, but sharing the same crate. “That’s not how her magic works. She can compel you to do things, but reading and manipulating emotions requires the gift of empathy, not charm. She could make you act calm, but inside you’d still be a mess.”
Not for the first time, I wonder how he knows so much about the gift. Who used it on him before?
“You were happy to let her go ahead and charm Caed, knowing that he’d still feel the same way about her underneath it all?” Drystan asks.
Bree shrugs. “If anyone deserves to suffer in silent agony, knowing their choices are being stripped from them, it’s him.”
“Oooh, sounds fun.” Lore grins. “You handle the Fomorian’s mental agony. I’ll dish up the physical torture.”
Bree sighs. “That’s unnecessary. Besides, I was planning to work on forgiving him.”
That admission stuns the entire room into silence. “Forgiving him?” I finally choke out. “Caed. You want to forgiveCaed.”
Bree’s ears twitch. “It’s inevitable they’ll be drawn together. They’re mates. I agree with what Kitarni says: Caed’s trial from the Goddess is intended to make him prove himself, but Danu wouldn’t have bothered creating such a task if she intended for him to die. She could’ve simply removed his Oath and let nature take its course if that was her goal.”
I… hadn’t thought of it that way.
My wolf snarls, and a little of the sound escapes before I can trap it. “She’s still afraid of having anyone touch her wings.Hedid that to her. Her Guard.”
“Elatha did that to her. He failed to prevent it,” Bree corrects, then holds his hands up when I snarl again. “I understand your point. He has a lot to answer for. I am simply prepared to forgive him, if he proves himself and Rose wishes me to. Doing anything else would simply cause her more pain.”
Drystan scoffs, pacing away from us. He can’t go far before his way is blocked by a neat stack of dusty barrels, but when he does, he thunks his head against the wood.
“There is nothing in this realm or the next that can convince me that the Fomorian has changed his ways,” he retorts. “He’s a threat. That is all he will ever be.”
A huge part of me agrees, but Bree seems unfazed by the rebuke.
“He’s a male who has never once been in control of his own life. His father controlled everything he did. The only act of rebellion he ever committed until he deserted the army and brought Bram back to Elfhame was swearing the Oath. I… I can understand that. I can even sympathise—more than I care to admit.”
The entire group falls silent, and I sigh. “As fascinating as this is, we should get back above deck. Just because the southern seas are quiet, doesn’t mean that there aren’t still Fomorians sailing them.”
"All the more reason for you to remain below deck,” Bree reasons. “Unless you want to shift mid-fight.”
“I’ll keep him under control.”
They can’t stop me from fighting. What other use do I have? I’ve been a warrior all my life.
It’s hard not to squirm like a bug under the intense stares they’re all levelling at me. “I can still protect her.”
“So why are you avoiding her?” Drystan asks.
“A better question might be, why are youallavoiding me?” a soft voice answers.
All of us stiffen, and my eyes widen with panic. Shit. How did she get down here without us noticing?
The others look at me, putting me on the spot.
How much has she heard? How much does she know? Did she really think we were avoiding her?
Yes, Jare, because that’s the important issue here.
Her scent washes over me, and my wolf goes fucking crazy in my mind. Elation, panic, joy, and mourning battle in the creature’s mind. I don’t need a mirror to tell me that my eyes have shifted, and I turn away to hide it.
Once upon a time, her touch sent my wolf in giddy circles. Now he howls at the light pressure of her hand on my arm. In his mind, she’s still in danger. Protect her. Mate her.
