Page 113 of Bloodguard

Maybe tea would help. I approach the sink, and the exhaustion of the day punches me down once more. After filling the kettle, I lean forward, my head dropping against my arm as the water heats. Damn, I could curl up in bed and sleep forever. Maybe Maeve and I can lie in bed for a short while… She always knows how to keep me warm.

I lift my head and freeze. I’m not sure how I missed it when I first came in. Perhaps it was because I was damn well frozen.

Sitting on a mound of gold and black flower petals is a giant crystal bottle of belladom. What the hell? Maeve knows what my people go through just to get one tiny drop. I grit my teeth.

This fucking day.

My glare trains on the bottle and then, of course, on the stupid note.

My dearest Maeve,

Dropped by to give you an early birthday gift and to resume the conversation we had in Vitor’s office. You know what I want. I know what you need. Find me.

Yours,

Soro of Revlis

Lord and General

That little shit stopped in again.

I seethe, then seethe some more. My family probably tore their hands up to harvest every drop that went into that vial. My people have suffered and died for centuries producing that shit. I can’t believe this is even here.

The door is flung open, and Maeve rushes in. She’s in a plain, deep-orange dress, and her cloak is soaked through. But that’s not what gives me pause. Her eyes are swollen and red as if she’s been crying. Maeve isn’t a crier. She’s shed maybe five tears since I’ve met her, and she practically sucked each of them back in.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen to your papa?” I pull the kettle off the fire and hurry forward when she shakes her head. I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me. “Is it Soro? Did that piece of shit hurt you?”

“W-what?” she asks. She takes a good look at me. “Leith, you’re shaking. Let me take care of you.”

“I don’t care about me,” I say. I search her face. “Tell me what he did to you.”

Maeve starts to speak only to abruptly quiet. She’s seen the bottle of belladom. I release her as she walks toward the sink. “Where did this come from?” she asks, then reads the note and looks up. “He washere?”

Yeah. It does not bode well that Soro can penetrate the defenses of Jakeb’s property so easily.

“Is this about your papa? Is Soro offering something to get him out?”

Her eyes well. “Soro can’t release him. Papa killed the queen.”

Now I’m the one confused. “Who told you that? Whoever it was is a liar.”

“It was Father,” she says. “Earlier this evening. In town. He said…he said everyone had told me, I just chose not to believe. Vitor likely only spared him for me.”

Damn. “He could have had a reason…”

The slow shake of her head silences me instantly. I fold the blanket over the chair, certain she’ll explain, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t mention the belladom or Soro. It’s like she’s at a loss for words. I decide not to press in order to give her time to, I don’t know, settle or something.

“Papa killed my grandmother, Leith.”

Is that why she blocks out the memories? Because she doesn’t want to believe it? But then…when her eyes lift up to mine, they’re haunted, like there’s more.

“Maeve, did something else happen?”

She blinks, her lips parting only to abruptly press tight. My already frozen body chills further. “Maeve? What’s wrong?”

Her light-brown skin blanches. Like splintering wood, she all but falls apart. I gather her to me.

“Tell me,” I say. “Tell me what happened, and we’ll fix it together.”

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