The elderly woman slowly blinks, looking unbothered. “A reading.” She arches a white brow. “A very interesting one.”
“You said as much,” Wren bites out, practically snarling. Rarely have I ever seen her so angry. “You should’ve warned me that it would feel like that.”
Feel likewhat? What happened?
The seer lifts a shoulder. “You never would’ve agreed.”
“Probably not,” Wren says harshly.
Her tone sets me on edge, and I straighten my shoulders, looking between the women.
“That’s why,” the seer says slowly, calm in the face of my Given’s fury. “This was for the best. It had to be done.”
A growl rumbles through me, and my fingers curl into fists. “What did you do to her?”
Evelyn picks up her cane and rises to unsteady feet. “I performed a reading, Hunter.” She sighs and shakes her head. “Please, save your anger. I am not the one you should be directing it towards.”
The ominous tone of her voice has warning bells ringing in my ears. “Who should I be angry at?”
Because right now, even though Wren doesn’t have any visible injuries, it seems like she’s hurt. I cannot let that stand.
Evelyn’s gaze is unwavering. “You know who,” she says solemnly.
There’s something about the knowing look in the seer’s eyes, and the tone of her voice, that has my stomach sinking. Without a doubt, she knows who I am. Who my father is. More than that, I know she is talking about him.
Once again, everything comes back to the king. Shivers skate across the back of my neck, and I shudder.
After a long moment, Evelyn looks over her shoulder. “Leave us,” she commands the others. Her voice is soft, but there’s no missing the authority in it.
Alaric tenses, his jaw tightening. “Ma’am, are you sure?”
The seer straightens as much as a woman of her age can, and she glares at him. “Are you questioning me, Alaric? Have you forgotten who I am?” Her voice rises. “What I’ve done for our people?”
A beat of silence passes, the air thick with tension, before the captain hangs his head. “Apologies. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t. Now, go.” Evelyn waits for them to leave, the door booming shut behind them before she turns to us. “Come with me.”
She’s clearly used to giving orders and being obeyed, but something happened that upset my gods-blessed. I won’t be going anywhere if Wren doesn’t want to.
Drawing Wren close and pressing our foreheads together, I ignore the seer standing a few feet away.
“Do you want to leave?” I whisper, my words for Wren’s ears only. “If you don’t want to stay, I’ll get you out of here.”
I don’t just mean this building. If she is uncomfortable in this place, if the People of the Wilting Roses hurt her, I will take her somewhere else. It doesn’t matter that I just woke up and that my limbs still ache from disuse, or that we don’t have funds on hand. Those are all problems that can be taken care of later. We’ll find somewhere else to go, someone else who can help Wren with her magic.
She inhales sharply, a beat passing before she shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” I pull back, looking into her eyes. “Because if you don’t want to be here?—”
“It’s okay, Gabe.” She puts her hand on top of mine. “We’ve already begun down this path. I want to see it through.”
Suns, this woman. Will she never cease to amaze me? I lean forward, brushing my lips across hers. “You are so brave.”
I stand, extending a hand to Wren. She slides hers into mine, and I help her to her feet. Together, we follow the seer out of the main room and down a small windowless corridor lit by a single torch. A locked wooden door stands at the end.
“This is my personal study,” Evelyn says, fishing a key out of her robes, opening the door and stepping inside. “Please, come in.”
The space is small, but every inch is well used. Packed bookshelves line three of the four walls, and stacks of books occupy every other available surface. A red carpet covers the wooden floor, and there’s a two-seater couch and a dark wingback chair. The fourth wall houses an enormous window, which faces the forest. The windowpane is dark, and it shimmers like the net.
