A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire(54)

I was sure he would be. “Thank you,” I murmured.

His hands slipped away from the buttons to my shoulders and then down my arms, leaving shivers in their wake. Shivers that spread down my front. Looking up, I saw Elijah heading our way, and I almost waved at him in relief.

“One moment,” Casteel called out, and Elijah stopped. A moment later, he turned me in his arms so that I was facing him. “Are you all right?”

Lifting my gaze to his, I briefly wondered how he could have such incredibly thick lashes. “Yes.”

His gaze searched mine. “You’re being very quiet.”

I was, but how did I explain that it was because I had no idea how I was supposed to behave? I was sure that he’d probably find that silly, my lack of knowledge so great that I had no idea how to even pretend.

“Is it what you did in the cell?” he asked.

“No,” I answered quickly.

“Is it the people here?”

I shook my head.

His features tensed. “Then is it about last night?”

“No,” I said without hesitation. Probably too quickly based on the sudden flare of light in his eyes. “I’m just a little tired.”

He watched me intently. “I’m not sure it’s that.”

“It is,” I told him. “It’s not what happened last night or anything else. You know I didn’t get a lot of sleep.”

He eyed me in a way that said he wasn’t quite sure he believed my response, but after a moment, he nodded. Stepping back, he motioned for Elijah to join us.

“I still think you’ll make good time,” Elijah said as he grasped Setti’s reins.

“Let’s hope so.” Casteel’s hands settled on my hips.

I froze.

“Put one foot in the stirrup,” he reminded me gently. “And then grab the horn. I’ll lift you.”

Feeling about seven different kinds of inadequate, I reached up and gripped the horn. Most people learned to ride by the time they hit their teens.

“You’re not familiar with horses, eh?” Elijah asked.

I shook my head, expecting to hear mockery in his tone, or at the very least, disbelief. I didn’t hear any of that.

“Never would’ve guessed that, seeing you over here all comfy with this temperamental ass.”

“Hey,” Casteel said. “You saying things like that is why he’s a temperamental ass towards you.”

Elijah laughed as Setti’s ears lowered. “Make sure he teaches you how to ride,” he said as Casteel lifted me with ease. “You seem like a natural.”

“That’s on an exceedingly long to-do list of things I plan to teach her,” Casteel replied as I settled in the saddle.

Did he really plan to do that? Excitement sparked. If I could ride and control a horse, I’d be able to travel easily once I was free. It would be a necessary skill, to be honest.

Wait.

What were the other things he planned?

The grin Elijah sent to Casteel didn’t go unnoticed. “I bet you do.”

Heat flooded my face, even though I only had an inkling of what the innuendo meant.

“You still think you’ll have the first group out within two days?” Casteel asked as he swung up behind me with startling ease. I was sure if I tried that, I’d end up belly-flopping across the saddle and then sliding off it.

“I hope to get the first group out by tomorrow morning,” Elijah told him.

“Good. I’ll be waiting for them to arrive in Spessa’s End before I continue on to Atlantia. At least then, I will feel a little better about crossing the Skotos,” he said. “But I don’t want you to wait too long. Just because the western roads are clear now, you know they won’t stay that way for long.”

“And you know I’m not leaving until the last one is well on the way home.”

Thinking of all the people being forced to abandon their homes saddened me. It didn’t matter that it had been planned long before my arrival. I’d sped up those plans.

“I know. That is why you’ve been entrusted with these people.” Casteel took the reins Elijah handed him. “I expect to see you home, my friend.”

“You will.” Elijah looked at me. “Keep our Prince in line and do so vigilantly. I expect to hear many stories that involve you throwing down with him.”

“You really don’t need to encourage her.” Casteel curled an arm around my waist, and a heartbeat later, I was nestled between his thighs, my back pressed to his front.

Although I hadn’t forgotten about the lack of personal space while on horseback, my memories of it had dimmed. I wasn’t sure I needed the cloak, but I knew from past experience that there was no point in sitting straight as a pole. All I would succeed in doing was causing my back to ache and my bones to feel jostled. And besides, I didn’t think a happy…fiancée would pull away from their intended husband.

And, truthfully, I didn’t want to. I had no idea how much of that desire had to do with avoiding how uncomfortable it would be, or if it was because of last night, his gift, the pantry, the secrets he shared, and all the moments in between.

Elijah bent his arm, pressing his fist to his heart. “From blood and ash.”

“We will rise,” Casteel finished, and my stomach dipped in response. Those words were the mark of the Dark One, his promise to his people and his supporters scattered throughout the kingdoms that they would rise once again.

Those words had once been a harbinger of chaos, the bringer of pain and death. And now, the Dark One sat behind me.

I was to marry him.

Temporarily.

And I’d allowed him to kiss me. To touch.

Because we were pretending.

None of this was real.

“Until next time.” Elijah bowed in my direction.

“I hope your travels are uneventful,” I said, surprising myself, and maybe even Casteel, because his arm tightened in response. I meant it, because…well, I liked the way Elijah always laughed.

Even when it annoyed me.

And the people here didn’t need to experience any more violence or heartbreak.

“As do I.” Elijah grinned, stepping back. “Though I doubt she needs it, keep her safe, Prince.”

“I always keep what is mine safe,” Casteel murmured, and my eyes narrowed as he gave Setti a soft nudge.

Setti trotted forward. The other three were waiting, and we ended up in the middle of the group as we rode out into the yard and passed the eerie warning the gods had left behind. My heart matched the steady thud of Setti’s hooves as I gripped the pommel.

“Where are your gloves?” Casteel asked.

I found my voice after a moment. “In the satchel.”

“They won’t do any good there.” He switched the reins to the hand that was at my waist, and then he was handing them over. “Spessa’s End is farther south. It will be warmer there.”

I took the gloves, slowly pulling them on while my heart leapt. Up ahead, the roofs of homes came into view. Sparing a look behind me, I saw only the edges of the stone keep before it too disappeared.

The mixture of nervousness and anticipation swirling inside me was a strange companion as I turned back around. In a few minutes, once we left the Rise surrounding New Haven, there would be no more chances to escape if I wanted to. We would be traveling too far to the east. I had to be fully committed to this deal I’d struck with Casteel—to his plan. Because now, there was no turning back.

“By the way, I’m not yours,” I told him. “I don’t belong to anyone but myself. Nothing changes that.”

“What if I just wanted a piece of you?” He shifted the reins to his other hand. “A tiny piece that belonged to me? I can think of a few I would love to have, Princess.”

My cheeks warmed. “I bet you can.”

His laugh was rough and deep. “Tell me what piece of you I can have. It can be any piece of your choosing. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.” His chin grazed my cheek. “It will be my most prized possession.”

I didn’t offer Casteel a piece of me as we rode forward, joining the others. There was no reason to because what he didn’t know was that he already held too many of them.





Chapter 20





“You’ve been entirely too quiet today,” Casteel pointed out again, several hours into the ride to Spessa’s End.

“Have I?” I asked, knowing full well there was no point denying it. The back of my neck tightened. Conversation had hummed all around me. Jokes had been shared. Playful insults were often traded, and while Casteel was their Prince, his status didn’t give him immunity. Few questions and comments had been directed at me, mostly about my training and how I was able to keep it hidden. Other than explaining how I trained with Vikter, I remained silent.

There was less opportunity for me to mess up that way.

“You have,” he said.

Aware of how close Delano and Naill were, riding only a few paces behind us, I said, “I’ve been…caught up in the scenery.”

“The scenery?” he repeated. “You’ve been engrossed in staring at…trees?”

My brow creased as I nodded. Tall pines crowded the road to Spessa’s End, growing so close to one another, their branches stretched from tree to tree. Very little could be seen beyond them.

“I had no idea you were so invested in the common evergreen.”