A ticking against the window over the sink broke the ensuing silence. She and Cole stared at the curtain as the ticking paused for a few seconds before starting again.
“Did you send a letter to Niall?” Cole asked her.
“No, I never got the chance,” she said. “They returned for me before I could.”
Cole glanced over his shoulder at Orin. “Hide.”
Orin slipped into the hallway and, drawing the shadows around him, disappeared. Cole kept one hand on her wrist beneath the water as he pulled aside the curtain. A crow peered in at them from where it sat on the sill.
Cole undid the lock and pushed the window open a little. The crow dropped a small piece of paper, cawed loudly, and took flight. Cole retrieved the paper, closed the window, and set the note on the counter beside the sink.
He released her wrist, dried his hands on one of the towels hanging from the kitchen cabinets beneath the sink, and tugged the curtain into place. Orin returned to the kitchen as Cole opened the note.
“Shit!” Cole hissed a second later.
“What is it?” Lexi asked.
“It’s from Elvin. There’s been an uprising in the Gloaming. The king’s army is fighting to end it, but I have to return.”
Is it ever going to end?But she already knew the answer to that.
No.
As long as the Lord sat on the throne, it would never end.
“They’re testing their boundaries,” she whispered.
“And I’m going to make sure they learn what a giant mistake that is, but you have to come with me. I cannot fight this battle if you’re here where Malakai and the Lord can return for you.”
“You can’t take her to the Gloaming while it’s in upheaval; there are countless enemies there,” Orin said.
“Am I supposed to leave her here foryouto protect?” Cole demanded. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re the most hunted man in all the realms.”
“It’s safer here than in the Gloaming.”
“Not if she’s in the palace; it will protect her.”
“You’re kidding.” Orin snorted.
“I’m not,” Cole said. “It already has.”
Orin’s eyes narrowed on her. Lexi didn’t like the look in his eyes, and Cole must not have either, as he growled while stepping in front of her. The move drew Orin’s attention to him.
“You have to return to the tunnels and stay there,” he said.
“You don’t know who you can trust in the Gloaming, and you don’t have Brokk to watch your back,” Orin said.
“Are you offering to come back to help me fight this rebellion?”
“I would, but do you want the Lord to hear about me fighting at your side? That would sign both our death certificates. However, returning to fight this battle alone is a risky thing, Cole. Enemies with friendly faces will surround you.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
As much asCole wanted to kill his brother for harming Lexi, Orin spoke the truth. If he could return to the Gloaming to help Cole against this insurrection, he would, but it would only result in the Lord hunting them both.
There was a lot of animosity between them, but they were brothers. They might one day kill each other, but they would also fight to the deathforeach other.
“I have to go,” Cole said to Lexi. He clasped her uninjured hand tenderly in both of his. “Please, come with me.”
