Page 22 of Their Trials

My anger deflated at that. Even holding back, he was trying to protect us, not wanting us to have to face the backlash of his affinity. I couldn't speak, a lump forming in my throat, so I simply nodded in understanding. His hand wrapped around my neck as he leaned in and kissed me, so softly, almost hesitantly.

I leaned into his kiss, needing to know he really was okay, his tongue parting my lips as he deepened it. It was as if I could feel his emotions and turmoil in the kiss, his soul touching mine in a way I'd never felt before.

Slowly, he pulled away, my eyes opening to find him studying me. His soul was bared before me in that moment before he pulled his mask back into place. He stood and offered me a hand, pulling me up to stand next to him. His hand lingered on my waist as we walked back over to Baer, who was now groaning.

“Fuck my life,” Baer said, his eyes still closed. “I feel like I've been hit by a Semi.”

I laughed, glad that he was okay enough to make jokes, a slight tremor in my voice as tears pooled in my eyes.

Baer pushed up into a sitting position slowly, groaning with every movement. “So, was that our trial or Charity's?” he asked, dropping the question into the space between us all and leaving us dumbfounded at the idea.

Chapter Nine: Rhowyn

A hesitant voice sounded out behind me. “Um...I believe that was ours,” Charity murmured, all of us turning to face her at the pronouncement.

“And why do you think that?” I asked her as gently as I could. She still looked like she'd break with the slightest breeze.

“I think that's what started the argument between Eoghan and Connor before the Puca ran off,” she said, blushing prettily. Of course she blushed in an attractive way. Everything she did was graceful and pretty in a way I could never hope to be.

“Okay...” I let that hang in the air, not sure how to proceed now.

“What are you willing to bet that the Cu Sith was also not supposed to be our challenge?” Lennox threw out to the group.

Now that I was thinking about it, the only reason we wound up fighting the Cu Sith was because the other group had run past us. We had simply been caught in the middle. “So, the only challenge meant for us was the dragon?”

“Loathly Worm,” Callum growled under his breath, trying to correct me. I ignored him, knowing it irritated him. I fought back a smile at that thought. He was so easy to annoy, and if he was going to be an asshole, then I would take pleasure in it.

However, he had held me during the fight with the Ankou, keeping me safe even if I hadn't wanted him to. He'd explained why he wouldn't let me go. Gently. His ability to remain calm during the attack was the only thing that had kept me from losing it completely. I frowned, not sure I how I felt about him being considerate and protective toward me.

I knew how to deal with the asshole, not this gentle version I had gotten a glimpse of. Which meant I would pester and needle him to provoke the response I could deal with. Maybe later, when I wasn't in the middle of the trials, I might try to get to know him better, but I had too much going on as it was without adding the stress of a temperamental fae to it.

Arryn chimed in, his brow furrowed in thought, “If I had to hazard a guess, then I would say yes, the Loathly Worm was the only challenge in the maze designed to test us specifically.”

“So, what does that mean?” I asked, trying to figure out how much more I needed to prepare for.

“Hopefully, the land won't send any more tests our way, having determined what it needs from what we've faced already, even if they weren't ours to begin with,” Arryn said.

“And if you're wrong?” I asked him, not sure if I was ready to know the answer to that question.

“Do you even have to ask?” Callum grumbled, raising an eyebrow at me and looking down his nose, clearly not impressed with my deductive skills.

I sighed, resigned to go through whatever was waiting for us. I couldn't help the slump of my shoulders; hungry, exhausted, and just over today. The trial couldn't end soon enough for me.

“Lennox, how’s your magic? We know Baer is tapped out, but how are you faring?” Arryn asked, taking stock of where we stood.

He shrugged in response. “The Ankou took a lot out of me, but I still have some left in reserve. Thankfully, you killed the bastard before I had to drain him further, otherwise I would be in the same boat as Baer.” He spoke honestly, his exhaustion clear to me. His body was slumped like mine, and his limbs seemed to hang heavily at his sides. He didn't even bother to make a snarky comment, which said enough in and of itself.

“Alright. I'm about halfway through my reserves after having to heal everyone. That said, please try to stop hurting yourselves that way there's something left in case of emergency,” he said, his face placid as he eyed us all.

I laughed at him. “Was that you trying to tease us?” I asked him, grinning.

He chuckled, the fatigue evident by the way his laugh was only halfhearted. “It was a sorry excuse for a joke, but yes. I was trying to lighten the mood.”

Baer swayed on his feet but managed a loud bark of laughter, slapping Arryn on the shoulder, both as a teasing gesture and to balance himself. “Why don't you just leave the jokes to me.”

Arryn smiled at Baer's teasing before turning to Callum. “And you? How are you faring magic wise?”

Callum crossed his arms in front of his chest as if Arryn had challenged him. “I'm fine.”

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