Page 63 of Kingdom Of Veil And Vow

The fear at the realization that Miles had come down to see Siyala was nothing compared to the absolute terror that exploded within me when I saw him hovering over her. When I took in the blood that covered her leg and the gaunt expression on her face as he pressed himself closer to her. When I saw that he had touched her while she was unable to defend herself. It was like every bit of information I absorbed when I walked into that room was kindling to a flame until there was only rage burning within me. It made me sloppy, nearly getting her hurt again in the process because I couldn’t hold myself in check. Siyala had almost been killed, and though mere weeks ago I would have justified it as a means to an end, now… Now things are different. The thought of anyone causing her pain is an immediate spark to that flame, and it is all the proof that I need to enact the plan that has been sitting idly in my head for a little while now.

I am going to help her escape this place.

Searching Miles’s body, I find a waterskin attached to his belt and take it, Siyala stiffening faintly when she sees it, only to then shake her head. “It’s not the one he used to poison me.”

Asshole. I keep the retort trapped between my teeth as I wet one of the clean pieces of gauze and gently dab at the edges of the wound. In the time it takes me to clean it, Siyala appears to get some movement back, the effects of whatever was given to her wearing off a little bit more.

“Do you remember what it was called?” I ask into the quiet, nearly startling her with my voice. Her fingers run along the hem of her tunic nervously, her amber eyes snapping to mine. “What he gave you?”

“Gelsemium.”

I huff out a slow breath, forcing the renewed rage inside of me to still. But the thought that he drugged her with something as potent as gelsemium has me considering kicking his dead body. “Nasty stuff. I’ve only ever heard about its effects, never actually seen them in practice.”

“It acts similarly to a berry we have on the island. Feels the same, too.” She presses her lips together, as if she didn’t mean to say those words aloud.

I do my best to keep my focus on her leg, even if my mind wanders to why she might have experience with another plant that immobilizes the body. It falls silent again as I work, and Siyala eventually takes to playing with the hem of her tunic. Well, I guess my tunic. Warmth blooms in my chest. It isn’t my best work, certainly isn’t like anything my mother could do. It had taken a few nights of staying up too late in order to finish, but I noticed that Siyala needed something to do with her hands, to feed her energy into. Perhaps she had always been this way, or maybe it was a tick that formed while being trapped in the cell as she was, but the embroidery on the hemline provides texture for her to focus on as she rubs it between her fingers. It is a small thing, but if it brings her comfort, then the time spent sewing was worth it.

“You came.”

At the emotion in her voice, I pause and look at her, my thumb moving to catch a tear that slips down her cheek. “The moment I figured out he had come here, that he meant to interrogate you, nothing would have stopped me.” My hand falls away from her face. “I would have slaughtered every guard on the way down here if it meant getting to you.” Her lips part with a shaky breath, and the ache to brush my own against them—to wipe her pain away with pleasure—burns me from within. But I force my gaze away as I busy myself with cleaning up the supplies. “I think there is a salve in the other room that Tienne brought with the last round of bathing supplies,” I say, standing as my heart pounds in my chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I answer quickly. Too quickly. Nervously, I pull on the leather strap now loosely holding my hair back from my face, running my fingers through the mussed strands. “Why do you think something is wrong?”

Siyala watches me rework my hair into a half up bun, securing it with the tie before folding my arms over my chest. “Your heart,” she finally says, stretching her legs out in front of her. “It’s beating faster than usual.”

I tilt my head as I study her. “You can hear my heartbeat?”

“With my shifter abilities, yes. Yours is always so calm. Steady. It is my favorite rhythm.” Her cheeks heat at her words, and said heart reacts by leaping to my throat. “However, now it beats fast, which usually means you’re either nervous or you’re lying.”

“A clever ability,” I tell her, earning a quick snort. My attention falls to her bare feet. “Did Tienne come down here with supplies earlier?” At the shake of her head, I grind my molars together. “I am worried about her. She hasn’t been feeling well, and I’ve never known her to miss a task assigned to her.”

Siyala looks down at her lap, fingers scrunching the tunic’s fabric between them. “You care for her?” she asks, glancing back up at me through her dark lashes. When I nod, slight horror twists her lips into a frown as she leans back against the chair. “Gods, are you two together? When I kissed you, no wonder you were so angry. I’m so sorry, I never would have—”

“We aren’t together,” I jump in, now hyperaware of how quickly my heart races and just how much she can tell from this one part of me. It’s a vulnerability I never even considered having. “Tienne and I are friends.” I lower down again, getting on her eye level as I fight back the urge to tuck her hair behind her ear. To rub away the line of worry that has made its home between her brows. “I was angry because I felt used, and I’ve already been through that once before.” As soon as the confession is out, I wish I could take it back.

“Marigold?” she guesses, and I nod.

How Miles knew about her, I have no idea, but I put that thought away for another time as I study her. She presses her lips together, clearly trying to stop herself from saying anything more. I should do the same, should keep the words dancing on my tongue to myself because they don’t benefit either of us to speak them.

But I don’t.

“More than that, Siyala, I hated that, even knowing it was given under false pretenses, kissing you still felt so incredibly real. I despised knowing I was going to replay that moment over and over again in my head and that it would mean more to me than it did to you.” Her eyes widen as she sucks in a breath, staring at me like she doesn’t quite know who I am. I suppose I don’t either. So I force myself to step back, force the feelings that my confession invoked back down inside of me as I ask, “Do you think you can walk now?”

She nods, reaching for my assistance. I slide an arm around her waist, but she holds her balance much better than before.

“Let’s get to the hidden room. I’ll have to leave you to grab more clothing—”

“No,” she rasps, panic coloring her tone as those piercing eyes dart to mine again. “I don’t want to be alone. I can wear these for a little while longer.”

And what can I do but dip my chin in agreement, my anger hot in my chest as I guide her to the hidden door and then into the tunnel. Siyala’s steps are slow but she manages to walk the entire way. Once we are in the other room, I guide her down gently onto the folded tapestry, searching through the bathing supplies and finding the herbal salve Tienne left. Kneeling, I open the jar and offer it to her. “Would you like to do it yourself? Or do you want me to?”

“You do it,” she says, leaning her head back against the stone before letting her eyes fall closed. “Please.” Plunging two fingers into the ointment, I gently smear it over the cut on her knee and the more egregious wound at her thigh. She hisses at the sting of the antiseptic properties, but her breathing eases when I wrap a thin piece of gauze around her leg, tying it off and then moving to wipe my hands with a spare cloth. “Thank you.”

I take a seat next to her once I’ve scrubbed off the residue of the salve—and what remained of her blood—and exhale roughly. “I’m going to get you out of here.” Despite the confidence in my voice, I am terrified to speak the words aloud, and immediately scan the room like a guard might be hiding here. But it’s just the two of us, so I lay out the pieces of my partially formed plan. “I will need some time to safely let the right people in so that we can slip you out of here and away from the castle grounds without being spotted. The docks are also full of guards, but there are a few men there that I trust. I’ll need to check the records to see when the next ship coming from the Shifter Kingdom is scheduled.” I pause, thinking of where the ledgers of such things are kept. It would be one of the councilmen’s responsibilities to keep the records, and I would need a reason to look through them at all without raising suspicions. Lost in thought, it takes me a moment to realize that Siyala hasn’t said anything, and I find her focus on her lap. The nervous motion of her fingers makes me frown. “I will make sure you get out safely,” I vow.

“I believe you,” she says quietly. “I guess I’m just overwhelmed.”