“I can do better, Princess.”
Her attention snapped to me, a mischievous smile curling her lips. Elohios above, the things I would do for this woman.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kallias
The impact of my blade sent Greaves pivoting to the side. I gritted my teeth and charged forward, refusing to let him escape. Sweat slicked my skin, the damp tunic chafing with each movement. I parried his lunge, and in the same motion, drove my sword beneath his guard. He staggered back with a sharp grunt.
I pressed the attack, fury blinding my judgment. Tomorrow, we were meant to leave for the Sol district, but Tallon claimed to be sick. I’d been foolish enough to check on him—only to find him not ill, but violently drunk.
Too much wine would do that.
Healers already did what they could, administering charcoal to purge the alcohol from his system, but he would be in no condition to travel.
It was his duty to escort her, yet now he lay incapacitated.
Egath remained locked away in his rooms and garden, his movements restricted, until we could identify the mastermind behind the attack.
That left just two of us to make the journey to the mountain manor—me and the princess.
Frustration exploded through my strike, landing against Greaves’ block. He staggered under the force, panting as he struggled to keep up. Determination flared in his dark eyes, and he shifted his approach, allowing me to hammer down on him.
Nienna needed to leave Reem. Though she excelled in court, a wild restlessness flickered in her gaze—something the palace walls couldn’t contain. She was a creature of open air, suffocating in that gilded cage.
She deserved better.
Greaves found the gap in my guard, his fingers snatching my wrist. I jerked away, slashing a wide arc. He snarled and let go, his gaze flicking to my feet, calculating his next move.
No, sheneededthis escape, but I wasn’t the only one who should be escorting her. The ride would take two days—all of which would be spent in her company. Sharing meals. Sleeping in the same house.
When we arrived, I would find sanctuary in the mountain manor. It was one of the few places I could lower my guard. Claydon had seen me at my worst on the battlefield. A healer, not a warrior, he disregarded his noble status to fight in the war, his hands stained with blood more than once. He’d patched me up countless times.
It would be too easy to slip into old habits. Too familiar. Clay was too trusting, and sneaking through the hall to another room would be effortless.
The temptation would be unbearable.
But this was what Nienna needed. What she craved. And I would give it to her.
And if she asked for more?
Could I say no?
Greaves slipped past my guard, driving his weight into my shoulder. The blow landed with a grunt, sending me stumbling back. Blood throbbed in my temples, and my sword tip dipped toward the ground. Frustration bubbled up as I ran a hand through my hair, tugging at it.
“I’m taking her,” I hissed, wiping the sweat from my brow.
“And here I thought you took her in the alley,” he shot back, grunting as he sheathed his blade.
My sword thudded into its sheath, and I tugged at my tunic, pulling it away from my damp skin. “To the manor, Greaves.”
“I figured,” he hummed, shrugging. “Will we be taking the Threshers?”
“I don’t want them in the house.”
“Too many eyes?”
I paused, letting my glare settle on him. “To give her space.”
