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“Nice,” I say, smiling at him as I reach for the door.
A gust of cool air sweeps through the tent when I pull back the flap. I freeze.
“Wait,” I say, turning back to Phaedron. “What condition?”
Phaedron gives me a smile that would make a stone blush. “The moment that envoy goes through the portal,” he replies, “we’re coming right back here. I’m not nearly done with you.”
Heat flares between my legs, and for a heartbeat, I wonder if helping Lythienne is really worth it. Then I shake my head and step through the tent door into the brilliant autumn sunshine. When Phaedron comes through the door after me, I lean forward to kiss his cheek.
“It’s a deal,” I whisper.
Chapter47
Phaedron
IS THERE A ROYAL GUARD HERE?
“Guard!”
I jump up, alarm pulsing through every part of my body as I try to drag myself through murky layers of sleep. The room swims as I swing my feet onto a cold floor.
The voice comes again, deep and urgent and somehow familiar. “Is there a Royal Guard here?” it demands.
It’s damned dark in here, my heart is thudding against the back of my throat like a blacksmith’s hammer on an anvil, and where in the nine hells am I?
Alindra makes a sleepy little murmur. The warmth of her body shifts against my back. Right. I shake my head, then cast a tiny illusion light to float across the floor. Which is covered in our discarded clothes. I smile until a boot smacks onto the tent platform just outside the door.
My heart jumps in my chest, yanking me out of bed. I cast a quick illusion over my body, covering myself with the Royal Guard uniform, and then stumble toward the tent’s door. I trip over something in the darkness, probably my cloak, but catch myself just in time to yank back the canvas.
“I’m here,” I announce, pulling my illusion light with me.
The soft flicker of my illusion washes over Rowan’s face, just in time for me to see him collapse in hysterical laughter. I huff, then let the door fall closed behind me as Rowan laughs so hard I think he might choke.
“Very funny,” I say, once he’s finally calmed down enough to inhale.
“Oh, nine hells,” Rowan gasps. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”
“Hilarious,” I reply, in the coldest voice I can muster. “Now fuck off.”
Rowan wheezes another laugh, wipes his eye, and shakes his head. “You’ve got the crest upside down,” he says, waving a finger at my chest.
I jump, then look down. Yes, I certainly do have the Royal Guard’s Crest upside down on my illusion cloak. Heat rises in my cheeks even as a shiver snakes across my skin. It’s cold in the Iron Mountains, and there’s nothing but illusion magic between me and the chill night air.
“Go put some clothes on,” Rowan says, waving a hand at the tent. “Then turn off that damn light. The stars are amazing tonight.”
I huff again, wondering whether I should just tell Rowan to really, honestly fuck off. But in the end, I shuffle back into the tent and paw through the clothes on the floor until I find my pants and cloak.
“What’s going on?” Alindra asks from the bed.
I lean over to kiss her forehead.
“It’s Rowan,” I whisper. “You can go back to sleep.”
She gives me a smile that’s so beautiful I seriously consider climbing right back into bed with her.
“I’ll be back soon,” I promise. And then I seal the promise with another kiss.
Rowan is sitting on the edge of the tent platform when I come back out, this time with an extra quilt for Rowan. I let my illusion light evaporate and watch its magic dissipate in the air, and then I lie back on the wooden platform next to Rowan and stare at the stars as they dance over the Iron Mountains.
