“Why?” Torain asks Roiven. “How would they even know about it?”
“Not from questioning me. But we’ll find out. We’re flying out in fifteen.”
Torain curses under his breath. He shoulders past me and jogs up the stairs, passing Roiven and vanishing.
“Cai, don’t do this,” Roiven says. “Stay here until I can take you wherever it is you want to go.”
I grip my hands tightly into fists. He makes me feel completely off-balance. One wrong push and I won’t even recognize myself anymore.
“I’m not waiting until tomorrow,” I tell Roiven. “I need to leave. Now. Please.”
“You’llhaveto wait. I can’t take you now.”
He descends the stairs, a shadow coming toward me. I take a step back, pressing myself to the wall.
“No choice. Of course,” I snap. “Rowboat it is.”
A cold feeling drags low at my gut, even though I already made up my mind. A rowboat is far too flimsy for the Wild Seas. I don’t recall seeing any other particularly nearby isles from Sava’s back. What happens if I fall in, or if I get stranded in the middle of the water?
Well. Still better than being stranded here with Roiven. Isn’t it? I know I’m being illogical, but being tricked by him after I decided to trust him makes me feel like such a fool that I can’t stand it.
“Why can’t you wait?” Roiven says, reaching me at the bottom. His voice strains. “I have to find out what the Hellions are doing. Come back up. I promise...”
“No.”
He stops a foot away from me. Far too close. I press harder against the wall as Roiven’s burning gold eyes bore into me.
“I know you’re scared,” he says softly. “But…”
“Scared?” I snap. “Are youthat delusional? You think I’m mad because I’mscared?”
Roiven’s jaw sets firmly.
“When I get back from Lusern... please. We still haven’t talked. Not properly. Don’t run from this.”
“There is nothis. All I agreed to was a fucking shackle, so you would negotiate, which was a fucking lie. You tricked me.”
One of the doors in the yard opens. A woman pokes her head out.
“Is everything alright?” she starts to ask.
“Go back inside, Chaline,” Roiven says.
“Oh, you don’t want an audience?” My voice gets louder. “Why were you so desperate to marry me? Why did you tell methiswas the only way I could come here?” I shove my living hand up between us, putting the marks in his stupid handsome face.
“Please,” Roiven says, his voice low and his eyes burning. His voice is calm, but I can feel the hot flames of his anger pulsing beneath the surface. “Keep your voice down. If you want to discuss this…”
Another face appears in one of the windows of the houses surrounding the square. I can only imagine how many people are listening from behind their doors.
“That would be convenient for you, wouldn’t it? If I shut up and went back to my room?” I shout. “I ought to spill your fucking guts on these stairs, you asshole. Get a sword and I'll challenge you.”
Roiven’s eyes dart away, taking stock of our surroundings. He grabs my left arm by the wrist, his own callused hand hot as a brand against my skin. The witch yanks me toward the stairs. I’m caught off guard enough that I take a stumbling step after him. My metal arm jerks toward the sword hilt.
Once we’re out of view of the houses, he pushes me back against the wall, crowding my body so close with his own that I can’t free my sword.
My heart jumps in panic. The bastard. I’ll bite his damned nose off if that’s what it takes. When I wrench my knee up toward his groin he twists sideways, so I catch his thigh instead.
“Yes, I bound myself to you, and only you, for life,” Roiven hisses. “You think I’mhappyI had to trick you? You think I take pride in that?”
