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“Zoya, use your beans, leave,” Odette commanded.
“Th-they’re all gone.”
Shit. She wrapped her sweaty palm around the pendant. The bean that Odette had taken from Rothbart was hidden off in the woods, far out of reach.
The assassins closed in.
“Rothbart will figure it out,” Odette said. “You know he’s no idiot.”
Fury sparked in Elna’s eyes as her gaze fell to where Odette gripped the pendant. Her hand raised, and she signaled for the other assassins to back off. She recognized what Odette had done. “You are a fool. You think you deserve to lead? You’re weak, always letting your emotions get the better of you. First with that lover of yours. Now with the sorcerer. You just want him between your legs.”
“That is enough.” Odette’s voice shook with anger.
But Elna snarled. “It was your hesitation that night that got us in this situation. If you had acted, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Odette felt a tremor run through her. She was right. The other women’s accusing glares weighed on her.
“I will get us out of this. I swear to you.”
Elna spat on the ground. “I am done following you.” And with that, she turned and walked away.
“What is going on here?” Rothbart’s enraged voice caused the rest of the assassins to scatter, but Odette breathed a sigh of relief. Yessly gripped Lina and dragged her off into the woods. Lina cast a longing glance, but went with her.
“Zoya.” Rothbart rushed forward, grabbing the girl into a tight embrace. His clothes were askew and worry lines surrounded his eyes. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
Zoya shoved back from him, resentment in her gaze. “I’m fine. Although I almost wasn’t with those crazy sorcerers coming after me. You said you’d figure this out.”
Rothbart spun toward Odette, a deathly anger surging from him. “You lied to me. You’ve held her here all this time.”
Odette stumbled back, hurt at his accusation shooting through her, and her body hardened to defend herself.
“No, that’s not how it was, Roth.” Zoya threw herself in between them. “I came here on my own, and when the assassins found me, Odette protected me.”
He froze, shock melting his anger. “She protected you?”
“Of course she did. She was the one who called you, remember?”
Reaching down, he tilted her face to look into his. “But why would you willingly come here in the den of the assassins? Was it all for Lina?”
Zoya’s cheeks flushed, and she jerked out of his grasp. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Rothbart looked over at Odette like he was seeing her for the first time. The way he stared at her was almost tender. It made her shift, and she found herself fiddling with the pendant still between her fingers.
“Try me,” he murmured.
Zoya let out an impatient sigh. “Can we just go? I’m sure you have some new plan to hide me away that will be even worse than before.”
“Yes.” Rothbart cleared his throat and tore his gaze from Odette’s. “We should go.”
Chapter 14
Rothbart
The next night, Rothbart waited at the gazebo until Odette arrived.
She stepped into their shared clearing, that no nonsense look in her eyes. “I assume Zoya is well hidden?”
“She is.” Rothbart had placed his stepsister in a cave on a distant mountain. He’d cast all sorts of spells around it to keep out unwanted visitors and to ensure a warm and comfortable space.
