“We have orders from King Lucanus to search the tavern for two members of the Aurelian Guild who were spotted in Solis Quarter.”
The female gasped, clutching at her heart as terror and concern flashed in her eyes. Her head bobbed immediately. “Whatever you need to do,” she replied as she gestured around the space.
“We will station guards at the entrance. No one in or out until the building has been searched.”
Raelyna’s mother nodded in acquiescence as the RSG began to fan out by the door, taking their positions. My eyes narrowed as I watched the sergeant motion to his lieutenant, and the male scampered forward, taser in hand, motioning the workers to step out from behind the bar.
A brief flash of brown hair caught in my peripheral vision, and my head slowly turned to the side, catching sight ofher.
Raelyna stood against the door near the kitchen of the tavern, her hair in a bun of loose curls as her head rested against the wooden structure. Her eyes stayed focused on her mother, never leaving as the sergeant spoke to her in hushed tones, his hands gesturing wildly.
It wasn’t hard to pick up on the words the male was saying, mentions of “spies,” and “escaping,” sharp on his lips. My gaze flicked back toward Raelyna as she began to scan the crowd of citizens in clusters around the tavern’s space. Her nose was scrunched, her brow furrowed in the center as she swept over every table, recognizing the citizens sitting at each spot in the tavern.
I caught the moment her sea-glass hazel eyes spotted us in the distance, her pupils widening a fraction before she continued looking across the tavern as though she had never spotted us before.
The guards began rummaging behind the counters at thebar. A brief flash of anger coursed through me as I watched the males so carelessly tossing things aside as they began to search for—well, for Axel and me.
Did they seriously think we would fit in a shelf under a bar top? How small did they believe us to be? Or . . . how idiotic were the guards Lucanus hired?
The scent of jasmine flooded the booth we were sitting in, every fiber of my being responding to the sweet scent floating off of her, even as I kept my muscles taut and my gaze fastened on the guards searching through the kitchen.
Her voice was a breathy hiss of a whisper against my hood as she bit, “You didn’t tell me you were spies.”
“It’s not like that,” I replied in a low voice, careful not to draw unwanted attention as the female behind me radiated unbridled fury.
“Ha. Sure, it’s not. You’re just like every other male,lyingto get what you want.”
“I didn’t lie to you, starlight.”
“There you go again, lying to me once more,” she snarked.
“I’m being entirely serious right now. I didn’t lie to you.”
“I hate to interrupt, but now isn’t the best time to have this argument. Perhaps we could have it a bit later? Preferably, when the RSG isn’t hunting us?” Axel took that moment to chime in.
“See . . .” Raelyna replied. “I told you that you were lying.”
“Are you here to offer assistance in getting us out of here, or are you just picking a fight with me?” I questioned, my patience on the verge of snapping as the guards began moving closer toward our booth.
A harsh scoff sounded from the female behind me, her scent still lingering intoxicatingly on me. “Why in Aurelia would Ihelp you?”
“Maybe because you know there’s more going on than what meets the eye?” I prompted. “Because there’s a part of you thatknows that something bigger is happening and you want to help.”
I heard the sharp intake of air from behind me. I felt the moment she went rigid against my back, and I waited. Even as the guards drew closer. Even as Axel began to tap his fingers on the table, his hand shifting toward the pistol at his side. Even then, I waited.
Because she deserved this . . . she deserved this moment to choose. To pick her own path. To determine what she believed.
“This way,” Raelyna finally whispered, and a breath of air I hadn’t known I’d been holding released from my chest, a weight lifting off of me. “But hurry. We don’t have much time.”
24
RAELYNA
I was insane.That was it . . . the only logical conclusion I could come to as I moved through the shadowed corridor of the tavern, guiding two spies out of my family’s establishment.
I was literally committing an act of treason for two males I’d known for, well, not long enough to commit treason, that’s for sure.
What on Aureliawas I thinking?
