A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)(33)

The fact that I missed that curvy ass just darkened my mood further.

It had been far too long since I’d taken a lover if my body was fixating on the wildcat. As soon as I finished with our task, I would find a willing woman and rid myself of this need.

Time crawled by. All of us were silent—Prisca scowling into the distance—while I focused on the forest around us. This close to the Gromalian border was bandit territory. We had to be careful not to get much closer or we’d run into Sabium’s checkpoints.

Finally, we came to the edge of the forest. The air seemed fresher here, or perhaps that was just my anticipation sharpening my senses.

Scrubland stretched out before us, much of it hidden by a thick mist, the fog lit gold by the rays of the setting sun. The wind that washed toward us carried the smell of soil and wild flowers.

“We’ll stay here tonight.” I slid off the horse. Prisca jumped off Rythos’s horse next to me, and I caught the twinge of pain on her face as her feet hit the ground.

If she didn’t want my hands on her, she could deal with the consequences.

I scowled at her, ignoring the vicious look she sent me in return. And the way Cavis shook his head at us. Given how everyone was reacting, it was as if I’d actually wrapped the rope around her neck and strung her up.

I’d paid the price for helping her with her magic. My balls still ached enough that I was grinding my teeth with my every movement. “You can thank me for my lesson whenever you’re ready,” I said.

Prisca held up her hand in a lewd gesture that made Marth snort a laugh.

That wariness when she looked at me…it would make our lessons that much more difficult. Regardless of what she’d managed under intense pressure, she still couldn’t use her power reliably.

Finding someone with her power had been a boon. If one believed the gods had a stake in our world, it would be easy to credit them with the fact that Galon had saved her life. Her power presented us with a unique opportunity I refused to let pass me by.

Beyond that plan was one simple fact—the thought of Prisca being a victim in this world was quite simply intolerable. Especially considering she carried the potential to never be a victim again.

Rythos got to work building a fire. From the look he sent me, my meat would be black tonight. Prisca sat next to him, murmuring quietly, and I shook my head at Marth when he attempted to take my horse.

“I’ll do it.”

I busied myself feeding the horses, ignoring the way Prisca and Rythos whispered together at the fire.

Finally, Galon and Cavis returned with the rabbits they’d caught. With nothing left to do, I sat on one of the overturned logs Marth had pulled close to the fire, pulling out my blade to sharpen it.

“What’s your magic, Rythos?” Prisca asked a few minutes later.

Rythos hesitated, and I struck. “Didn’t you know, wildcat? Rythos has the power to make you like him.”

Something that might’ve been hurt flashed in Rythos’s eyes as Prisca turned an accusing look on him. “You— I—”

“No,” he snarled. “I’ve never used my power on you.”

Doubt crossed Prisca’s face. Strangely, the chasm widening between them didn’t make my mood any brighter.

Gods, I was a bastard. From the narrowed-eyed look Marth sent me, he was thinking the same. It wasn’t often that Rythos’s smile dimmed, but I’d made it happen.

Now everyone else was as miserable as me.

Prisca looked at me. And then she reached for Rythos’s hand. Her skin was so pale next to his. They looked like they belonged together.

“It’s okay,” she told him, her gaze still on me. “I believe you.”

He smiled at her. My hand tightened around the knife I was sharpening.

“How does your magic work?” she asked.

The rest of the night crawled by, with Rythos mixing truths in a way that impressed even me. At one point, our eyes met, and his expression turned defiant.

I just raised an eyebrow. Marth nudged me, while Cavis ignored all undercurrents, likely lost in thought about his perfect family. Galon watched all of us, expression bemused. I couldn’t blame him. Traveling with a woman had changed everything. And not for the better.

Finally, we crawled under our blankets. Prisca was close to the fire, and I positioned myself next to her, hoping it would irritate her. From the blistering look she sent me before rolling over, it did.

I couldn’t help it. I watched her as she fell asleep. Just when my own eyes were becoming heavy, she jolted awake, panting. Something that might have been guilt tightened my gut. Was she dreaming of me chasing her with that rope? For a moment, I had the strangest urge to pull her close. To soothe.

She rolled to face me, likely feeling my eyes on her. I didn’t bother pretending to be asleep. Her eyes slid to the blue mark on my temple and stayed there.

“Nightmare?” I whispered. It was strangely intimate, talking to her by the fire while the others were asleep.

She shuddered, and for a moment, I almost pulled her close until she stopped trembling.

But she was already blinking, long, slow blinks as if she was fighting sleep. When her eyes slid shut for the last time, I wondered if the solitude would eat me alive.

Then she spoke. “I used to see you in my dreams,” she mumbled. “Now all I see is the men I’ve killed.”