His face falls for a second, then hardens. “You can. You know I’m not lying.”
He’s not, but it doesn’t make a difference.
“Every time you did something nice for me in that place, you followed up by threatening me or worse.” I grip the doorframe for support. “How am I supposed to ever trust you again after that?”
“I brought your brother back to you.”
“Because Danu’s curse made you.” Does he think me stupid? “What happens if you can’t make Drystan trust you by her deadline, and you decide going out in a blaze of glory is your best option? You’ll trick me again and drag me back to your father in the hopes they’ll place your statue next to Balor’s. I’m not falling for it.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
I give him a look. “Caed, most of your identity is tangled up in trying to make Elatha love you. You think I didn’t see how you were practically begging for some kind of praise when you handed me over? Or how you happily accepted two hundred lashes simply because he ordered them?”
“That’s not true.”
Bitterness floods my mouth, but I didn’t need it to confirm the lie. My face must give away something, because he slumps back in the water.
“I won’t hand you back to my father.”
Not a lie. “I believe you mean that now.” I take a step back towards the door. “But it won’t last. Elatha will offer you something you can’t resist, and you’ll change your mind. I can’t—I won’t have my trust broken again.”
Because next time, it won’t just be my trust. My Guards are far too good at worming their way into my heart.
Without giving him a chance to protest or break my resolve any further, I dash from the room, my wings fluttering anxiously.
“Take me home,” I whisper to Lore and Bree, who are doing an awful job of pretending they weren’t listening the entire time.
“Rose,” Prae begins. “He’s—”
“I can’t… I can’t do this right now,” I tell her honestly. “I’ve had a difficult day. Besides, it’s not up to me, is it? It’s my Guard he has to convince to remove the curse. I don’t get a say.”
“You’re the only one who matters,” she argues. “We’re going to follow you across the courts if we have to. Why not just let us travel with you? It will stop the others from being paranoid if they can keep an eye on him.”
I shake my head silently, because we both know how much strife having Caed with us will bring. We have enough on our plates with the minor royals without fighting amongst ourselves as well.
“Take me home, Lore.”
Twenty-Nine
Caed
“Ican’t believe we’re doing this,” I growl, tightening the strap holding my sleeping roll to the back of my horse. “She as good as told me to fuck off and die.”
The rainy courtyard is grey and miserable, doing nothing to help my mood or the lingering aches in my body. Rose may have sped up my healing considerably, and sleep has erased the last of the bruises, but the twinges remain, and my pride is bruised.
Stupid púca. I would’ve slept blissfully through having my balls explode in a comfy bed if not for him. Now there’s a curfew and soldiers sweeping the city for us. Ideally, I would’ve liked to wait another day before departing, but now we have to leave before they close the gates.
Rose will travel faster than us by ship as it is.
“That isnotwhat she said,” Prae corrects. “And I’m beginning to think you missed the entire tone of that conversation. I heard every word through the door. She wasn’t mad at you, cousin. She was heartbroken that she couldn’t trust you.”
“How am I supposed to prove she can when she won’t believe me, even when I tell her the truth?” The mare snickers nervously, and I put a hand on her neck to steady her. “Now what? We’re supposed to race across the continent on the off chance she changes her mind?”
“Would you prefer to stay here and prove yourself by becoming a fairy hermit?” My cousin’s dry sarcasm is cutting, and I sigh.
“No. It just… She wouldn’t even listen, Prae. How am I supposed to do this if I can’t even get Rose to consider travelling with us?”
She pulls herself up into the saddle. “She listened, dumbass. Did you not hear her?”
