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My hand lashed between my legs, pulling out the parrying dagger I had holstered along my thigh. I almost pressed it into the stranger’s chest when I caught that familiar scent of birchwood and dew.
“Easy now,” Riven purred.
“Where thefuckwere you?” I demanded pointing the blade to his throat. I could see the mist his breath left along the thin steel. I didn’t care. I wanted answers.
“I got held up,” he said, leaning against the carriage door away from my blade.
“Held up?” I spat. Rage boiled my blood until the sides of my vision blurred. Maybe I should cut him, just a little.
“I’ll tell you about it in the carriage, but we need to go,” Riven choked against the steel. “Now.”
“What’s going on?” My voice softened, catching the worry in his tone. What had happened since he left me alone?
“We’ve made too large of an impression tonight,” he said as I dropped my blade. “We need to leave now. Pray some lord becomes a drunken scandal and our presence is forgotten by morning.” He opened the carriage door and gestured for me to get in.
I laughed. Genuinely laughed. I didn’t even care how loud I was. Riven was kidding himself to think that our presence would be forgotten. A message to the king was being drafted as we spoke.
“You’re too late for that,” I huffed between breaths as Riven stared down at me, his brows fused together. He shot a look at Nikolai who had an arm slung over the driver’s bench.
“The prince is here,” Nikolai cut in. His voice was hard. A look passed between him and Riven that I couldn’t read.
“Do you think he saw you?” Riven asked, lifting his hand to my bracelet to feel if the glamour was still intact. I knew it was.
“He did more than see me,” I said, pursing my lip. Everything had managed to go wrong.
“Did he recognize you?” Nikolai asked.
“We danced,” I said, raising a brow at Nikolai. “I had to tell him that I was here in disguise. Tracking the Shadow.” My eyes cut to Riven but he didn’t meet my gaze.
“He knew it was you?” Nikolai blinked. “Even with the glamour?” He shot a second look to Riven. I could decipher the concern in that one.
I tugged on the ribbons of my mask and pulled it off.
“Yes,” I answered, my shoulders falling. “But I don’t think he realized I was glamoured. He knew who I wasbeforeI turned around.” My stomach fluttered at the memory of his eyes trailing over me. I lifted a hand to my neck. Riven scoffed beside me.
“Oh, really?” Nikolai said, his tone mocking as his eyes flicked to Riven again.
“Am I missing something?” I demanded.
“No,” Riven said as Nikolai shook his head.
“No, of course not,” Nikolai said sarcastically. “Only that a member of the royal household who is supposed to be inVolcarwas here without our knowledge. Andsomehowcould identify Keera on sight.” I’d never seen Nikolai look at Riven with anything worse than mild annoyance, but now his nostrils flared, and his brow hung low over his eyes, casting dark shadows over his cheeks. His soft, friendly face was menacing.
“Our intelligence must’ve been bad,” Riven said, his voice as hard and cutting as the sharpest steel.
“So this ismyfault, is it?” Nikolai barked, throwing his hands into the air. One of the horses shifted and Nikolai grabbed the reins to steady them.
“We don’t have time to decide whose fault it is,” I interjected, placing myself between them. Whatever had Nikolai so angry would have to wait. “The prince is sending a letter to his father right now. We have to get the others and leave immediately. We’ll be lucky to arrive in Silstra before the Shades start patrolling the trade routes.”
“We can’t rush something like this,” Nikolai said, shaking his head. “We’ll make a mistake. Someone will get caught. At worst, we’ll all be hung.” Nikolai’s voice was cold. He was right. Rushing would lead to mistakes, but we couldn’t help that now.
“We don’t have another choice,” I told him.
“I disagree—” Nikolai started.
“No. We don’t,” Riven finished in a commanding tone. “I agree with Keera. We need to leave now.”
Nikolai opened his mouth to protest but Riven stared him down with those piercing violet eyes. I could see the power stirring behind them, a warning, and a reminder of who held the higher rank between them.
