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11

Lyra

Roark trapped my face in his palms, tilting my head side to side, inspecting for wounds.

“Auki is the one who is injured,” I whispered, my voice haggard from the exertion of using craft and falling into the cold of the mirror.

With a frown, Roark covered the bleeding gash on my waist.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s a scratch. Auki has an arrow in his leg.”

“Do you hear me whimpering?” Auki huffed, fighting a wince when Gunter and Emi gingerly wrapped the leg, avoiding the arrow shaft. “I’ll be as right as I ever was in a few moments.”

Brynn snorted. “He’ll be sobbing once he’s alone.”

Auki cursed his sister under his breath, but it was cut short when Gunter, all at once, ripped the point of the arrow from his flesh. Auki shouted, spitting out cruel words toward Gunter while Emi made quick work of wrapping the wound.

“Told you.” Brynn chuckled, but her grin faded when she looked at Roark. “I made you a vow to protect your bond, and I’ll keep it.”

In truth, their prince seemed more unsettled than anyone. He studied Brynn, and there was nothing warm or welcoming in the tension of his jaw, the way his fists curled at his sides.

She tilted her head. “What? Think I’ve been pining for you all this time?”

“He is stunning.” Gunter winked. “In desperate need of a wash, of course, but beneath all the blood and grime, he’s a sight any woman would be blessed to behold. Said so yourself, Brynnie.”

“I stand by my words, but perhaps instead of gawking at the prince we ought to turn our attention to the fact that we were nearly impaled by damn arrows moments ago.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek to hide the tug of a grin. The longer we spoke, the more I enjoyed Brynn Oakbriar. Even if acceptance came with a touch of reluctance.

Roark’s frown only deepened when Brynn drew nearer. He stepped in front of me.

Brynn sighed. “I’m not going to harm her.”

“Told you, he’s forgotten how deep Draven vows run.” Gunter took a seat in one of the chairs beside Emi and Auki. “Said the same damn thing at the ravines, and you’d have thought I threatened to cut off his cock the way he bared his teeth at me.”

The smile couldn’t be helped any longer. I covered my lips with my palm.

“Roark,” Auki said through a wince when he adjusted his leg. “We’ve waited for your return for seasons. We’re not here to drive you away or betray you.” He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. “We understand why Nivek was killed, and we want to find the bastards the same as you. No one was ever caught, you know? Nivek deserved to have his voice heard before meeting the gods. What was done doesn’t sit right. Never did. Not with a lot of folk.”

“You might want to decide swiftly if we’re worthy of being at the melder’s side.” Gunter peered out the window. “My father just found poor Máhtte. Gods, did you eat his soul? You’ll be called back to the úlfur, I’m certain.”

I followed Roark to the window. True enough, a tall man with the same shade of wild hair as Gunter helped steady the second archer. I did not know what was more horrifying, the dead archer bleeding over the briars or the second, whose eyes were dim, his movements more instinct than conscious thought.

Soulless. A shell of blood and bones and a beating heart.

Nothing more.

I want to know who sent them, Roark gestured. The úlfur council just agreed you were to be untouched.

Hot rage laced the movements of his hands. I did not know what to say. If the council agreed to stay my death a little longer, clearly the vote was not enough to guarantee my safety here.

“We’ll learn who sent the archers,” Emi said to her cousin.

“Until then, it might be wise to keep us close to the melder,” Brynn said.

“I do have a name,” I said, my voice rough.

Brynn smirked. “Apologies. Lyra. But by keeping you close with us, it will show that we stand with our prince and you. It might help soothe some of the unease in the clan.”