Something dark, unhinged, and violent exploded in my head. That idea never crossed my mind. I could easily believe that they would do anything to get rid of me, but Alina was an even bigger threat. Not only because she was the last descendant of the red clan, but also because she knew that the old queen was long gone.
“Is that true?” I took out my knife.
“No! No! I swear. No! I swear! I swear!”
“Do you believe him?” Sage was right beside me.
It took me a good minute to come to my senses. I removed my weapon and shoved him into the wall.
Erin’s eyes shifted from me to Sage. He looked like a caged animal that was ready to do anything to stay alive. I scrutinized his face, his wide eyes wild with fear. He betrayed all of us, not because of his beliefs and convictions, but because he received a hefty payment every month. That was the most disgusting reason of all. He was ready to put every person in Darragh in danger just to get his coin.
“If I ever see you again. I’m going to kill you,” I said quietly before letting go of Erin’s neck.
“You can’t let him go. He knows too much. He already caused enough damage to last a lifetime.” Sage hissed.
Sage was right. Erin knew enough about me, Alina, Victor, and Frid. But, killing him to prevent possible issues in the future would turn me into someone I did not want to be. I inhaled, watching Erin frantically collect his belongings.
“Don’t let him go! He will betray you again!” Sage’s face turned red.
With Sage’s words still booming in my head, I walked into the dimly lit hall.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
FRID
We spent the rest of the day in the room together, hardly speaking, not even looking at each other. I woke up from my nap an hour before, and occupied myself staring at the thick curtains that separated our room from the quiet hall while Victor played on my nerves, throwing and catching a small leather ball he probably got from a kid. The sun could just barely seep through the intricately woven fabric, highlighting the threads of sky blue and mustard yellow. The patterns on the fabric were moving slightly in the small amount of air that traveled from room to room. The way ventilation was set up in this place allowed for a comfortable temperature to remain at a steady level throughout the day and even at night.
From time to time, I could hear one of the sisters passing by on the other side of the curtain. There was truly no privacy in this place. What if people had some business they wanted to keep away from the others?
“It’s time for dinner,” Victor suddenly said.
“Hm?”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to go?”
“Sure,” I responded, not moving a muscle.
I could hear the rustle of clothes behind me. I turned to see that Victor had changed into the clothes that our servant girl gave him. He wore the same light colored tunic and wide legged pants as the people of the commune. His narrow waist was defined by a thick belt the males in the compound wore.
“Do you want me to bring you food?” he asked.
“No, I’m getting up.” I grimaced, carefully lifting myself up.
When the stress from last night gradually left my body, every ache and muscle strain, each scrape and bruise, let me know how abused my body was.
From the corner of my eye I could see that Victor’s lips were pressed tightly together as he watched me slowly swing my legs off the bed. He turned and left the room without saying a word.
I was stiff and sore and could barely put on the dress that the sisters left for me. The light, nearly see-through fabric of the skirt reached to the soles of my feet. My chest was on full display for anyone to see, but I was too tired to care.
I knew Victor hated that I went on missions without him. But, what else could I do?
When he returned to the room, I looked up, expecting him to make his usual snarky comment, but he said nothing. Instead,he extended his hand. He appeared more tan than I had ever seen him before, and after a moment of hesitation, I accepted it. His warm fingers intertwined with mine and he carefully pulled me toward him. Our eyes locked when my chest pressed against his. And for some reason, my mind could not concentrate on anything else. His light grey eyes, with dark eyelashes, looked straight into my soul as if our bodies knew how to speak without words.
“I was a fool. I wanted to ask you . . . out . . . I went to your room, but . . . you were with someone. I could . . . not . . . bare it.”
