Page 109 of By the Flames of Her Fury

I was. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept more than an hour or two. It was hard to make my body rest, despite how weak I was. Part of me was afraid I’d wake up and more pieces would be missing, more gaps in my memory, more blank time I couldn’t get back.

I leaned my shoulder into the wall, still holding tight to his finger. Through his touch, I felt warmth spread up my arm and into my mind. Everything became soft and heavy at the same time, relaxing my muscles and soothing the bleakness.

I sighed, slow and steady. I could tell he was using his magic on me. “Swift, no,” I managed to say. “The chains…”

“It’s okay.” Beneath his carefully controlled voice, I heard the strain, the effort it took to fight against the punishing, magic-dampening chains. “Just let me take care of you, sweetheart.”

Before I could protest, my eyes slid shut as my head lolled to my chest. Illusions of peace cocooned me, separating me from the coldness of the cell. I faded to sleep with the image of strong arms holding me against a warm chest.

52

Everett

Istood in front of the mirror in my room and gently twisted my left arm, trying to get it to pop back in place. I let out a hiss as a nauseating jolt shot through my shoulder. That one corpse had gotten a good grip on it. I hadn’t told the others about it or my burnt hand once we got back to the palace—I still didn’t trust the High Elders, even with something as simple as healing me. I had quietly asked the maid, Sloane, for some bandages, and tried to fix it on my own.

I flexed my right hand, making sure the bandage I’d tied around it hadn’t come undone. A soft knock had me hastily shrugging my arms through the sleeves of my shirt before padding across the room. I opened the door and paused.

“Hi,” Vera said quietly. Her eyes trailed down the front of my unbuttoned shirt, lingering on the bird tattoo on my chest.

I squeezed the door handle. She was the last person I expected to see. It looked like she hadn’t rested after the fight in the crypt—white dust still lingered in her hair, and her clothes were smeared with dirt and hints of dried blood.

“Hi.” I cleared my throat. “Do you…do you want to come in?”

“Sure.” She stepped inside, boots tracking in dust. “I wanted to check on you.”

I shut the door behind her. “I was going to do the same thing. I just didn’t know if you wanted to see me.”

She glanced at me quickly, brows pinched, then looked away. “I had to make sure you were okay.”

“I am,” I said quietly.

She took a deep breath and nodded. “That’s good.” She nodded again and looked around the room, her eyes not staying in the same place for long. An awkward pause hung in the air.

“You seem…distracted,” I finally said.

“No, no, I just…” She exhaled. “Yeah, I guess I am. I just can’t believe it was all a trick. The fake amulet,” she added. When she shook her head in frustration, blonde hair brushed her collarbone. A vivid memory burst into my mind of her fingers trailing down her collarbone to the water lily birthmark I knew rested beneath the fabric.

“Almost an entire day wasted on a false trail,” she continued. “I’m getting tired of these Fates.”

I dragged my gaze back to her eyes, trying to clear the image of my lips pressed to that mark. “We still have three days. You’ll find it.”

She gave me a faint smile. “And here I thought you didn’t trust any of this.”

“I said I didn’t trust the Elders. My faith in you has never wavered.”

She held my stare for a moment, her smile faltering as something else set in. When she dropped her eyes lower, they landed on my bandaged hand. “Everett, what did you do?”

“Nothing. It’s just a burn.” I shifted my hand behind my back. “It’ll heal.”

“Did you get it today?” She went to grab my arm, but I sidestepped her. “Don’t be so stubborn. Let me see it.”

I couldn’t stop my bark of laughter. “Oh, I’m the stubborn one?”

“Yes.” She feigned going left, then reached around the other side. She tilted her head to look up at me, her chest brushing mine with every inhale. “Incredibly stubborn.”

Her eyes locked with mine, her teeth slowly dragging at her lower lip. My heart stuttered like a fool. I let my guard fall, and her lithe fingers circled around my wrist and tugged it free.

“That’s not fair,” I growled. You know what you do to me, I wanted to add.