“So, how long have you been fucking your recruit?”
My stomach dropped, and my mouth went dry. It wasn’t anything new for him to insinuate that Penny and I were together, but this was the first time he’d been so direct. It caught me off guard, and it took just a second too long for me to formulate a response.
“Again with this strange fascination with what goes on in my bedroom.” I rolled my eyes and hoped I looked more annoyed than guilty as I pushed past him. “Sorry, Anders, but you’re not my type.”
I took my time situating the crate in the cart. The cold air stung my lungs as I breathed deeply in an attempt to chase away the dread filling my belly. I tried to remind myself that it was only a matter of time before Penny and I were found out, and it wasn’t ideal, but we would manage.
It did little to help.
When I reentered the cellar, Anders was waiting with his arms still crossed over his barrel chest.
“You’re good at avoiding the questions,” he said as I dipped to drag another crate of potatoes off one of the shelves, “but I notice you never actually deny it.”
I scoffed and straightened, avoiding his eyes as I made for the stairs again.
“You’re always so careful, Kit,” Anders called after me, “at least when you think you’re being watched.”
There was something chilling in his tone, and it drew me up short before I could even mount the first step. Against my better judgment, I turned back to face him.
“Careful not to look at him too long,” he continued. “Careful not to let your touch linger. Careful not to stand too close. But when you think no one else is around, you let your guard down. You get careless.” He leaned in with a cold grin. “That corner of the smithy isn’t quite as hidden as you think. Not from all angles, anyway.”
For someone I always assumed wasn’t all that bright, he knew more than I gave him credit for. I ran through every moment I could remember from the forge for the last few weeks and tried to recall if I’d noticed Anders lingering nearby, but he was clearly more observant than I was. I couldn’t remember a single damn time.
I set my shoulders and stared him down with as disinterested an air as I could manage. “I’m not sure why my private affairs are your business.”
He leaned back against one of the shelves, unfazed. “Did you know he draws you a lot?” His eyes crinkled when he smirked. “Draws alotof you. The nude was a surprise, but at least it was tasteful.”
Thathad to be why Penny was so upset back at the stables, and why he’d spent the entire trip practically clinging to hissatchel. We’d left Anders alone at the house, and he’d gone snooping and seen things he shouldn’t have. Ididn’tknow Penny drew me, in fact. If I wasn’t so horrified that Anders had apparently as good as seen me naked, I might have been flattered.
Beset with nausea and a bit lightheaded, I couldn’t think up a response beyond snapping, “Why are you just standing there? We have work to do.” I didn’t stick around to see if that spurred him into motion before hurrying up the steps and shoving the crate into the cart.
I braced my arms on it and took a handful of deep breaths to settle myself. He’d gotten me off balance, and it was too risky to let him keep me there. I needed to get my bearings back before I lost control.
The snow crunched behind me, and Anders hefted a basket of apples up beside my potatoes. He leaned in close enough to be heard when he dropped his voice.
“I’m a little disappointed,” he whispered. “I would have thought you of all people knew better than to get attached. Affection is weakness. Penny should be nothing to you but a burden to set at Eeus’s feet so he can burn it away.” His brown eyes searched mine as anger took the place of the dread in my gut. “Unless heisonly a burden and you're just indulging him. I don’t seeyousketching him in his underclothes.” He gave an exaggerated wink. “Or out of them.”
Eeus wouldn’t get his hands on Penny, at least not if I had any say in it. I’d thwarted the god’s attempt to take him during the third Oath, and I would do it again, as many times as I had to. Penny wasmine, and Eeus couldn’t have him.
“He’s not a burden,” I hissed. “And enough talking. We have too much to do to keep wasting time like this.”
Anders just smirked and returned to the cellar.
He kept blessedly quiet after that, and we made quick work of the remaining supplies. When all that was left was one sack of onions, I hefted it up and gestured Anders to my lantern near the door as I headed up the steps.
“Get the lamps, will you? I’ll put this in the cart and get it moved out of sight before we go get Penny.” I glanced over my shoulder just long enough to see him nod, then I stepped out into the daylight.
With the sack added to the nearly overflowing stockpile in the bed of the cart, I took Flint by the bridle and led him around to the other side of the trees. It felt like it took ages to cross the open expanse of snow, and the trees only offered a small bit of shelter from the line of sight to the front of the mission, but it would hopefully be enough to avoid the Symbiarch seeing what we’d done.
I gave Flint a pat on the neck and turned to tell Anders to stay with the wagon while I fetched Penny. I was sure he’d been right behind me, but he wasn’t there. Ducking behind the trees, I saw him trudging toward me through the snow with one lantern dangling from his hand.
Behind him, smoke rose from the closed root cellar and the back of the mission. Breath caught in my throat.
“What did you do?” I asked as Anders passed me.
He paused and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Set fire to the cellar to disguise our theft.” He grinned. “And to the mission for good measure.”
Panic prickled up my spine. “Penny’s in there!”
