Page 91 of The Evernight Court

She believed me.

Holy fuck, she actually believed me.

“Because it has to be a bride, and the others are not fit to be out of the castle walls,” I said in a rush. “So, tell me—will it be you, or do I need to find someone else to guide me?” I touched the leather bag strapped to my shoulder. “I’ve got the gold coins right here, Quinn.”

She took a whole minute to pace in circles in front of me, muttering to herself, shaking her head. My patience had already run out and I had to grit my teeth and sink my nails into my palms to keep myself from speaking. To give her the time she needed to make up her mind.

She finally sighed. “How’d you know about me?” she finally said. “Did he tell you?”

I held back a flinch. “No, Valentine didn’t tell me anything before his banishment.” He’d only smiled as the sky swallowed him whole. “I knew when I realized he wrote the book you so kindlyboughtfor me.”

Her eyes closed instantly. “He was sure you’d never seen his handwriting before,” she muttered.

I laughed—couldn’t help it. “I hadn’t. But I did just before Romin banished him.” On the printed music in that leather folder he’d left on the piano.

“Well, fuck,” Quinn said, pulling down the hood of her brown shirt as she rubbed the back of her neck. “He said you’d never find out.”

“I did,” I whispered. “How did you know him, anyway? How did he find you?”

Quinn looked down at the ground rightaway. “My aunt used to work at the castle when he was a boy. She took care of him. Babysat him all the time. They were really close,” she said. “She lives here, and he still visits her all the time. When he went to her about you, she sent for me right away.”

Incredible how my heart could still break because of Valentine—and he wasn’t even here.

It doesn’t matter,I reminded myself yet again. Nothing mattered except Grey.

“What will it be, Quinn? Will you take me to Agva or not?” I forced myself to say.

“It’s dangerous,” she told me, and she sounded terrified now. “So many animals—wildanimals live around it. It’s a tough road to walk.”

I raised my chin. “I understand if you’re scared.”

She laughed. “Of course, I’m scared!”

“Then don’t come.” If it came to it, I was going to find my way to that mountain on my own.

“For fuck’s sake, Fall,” she said with a sigh. “Of course, I’ll come. He’d kill me if he knew I left you alone.”

“Well, Valentine is not here, so…” I shrugged, pretending I wasn’t affected by the memory of him smiling as the hole in the sky pulled him up.

“No, he’s not,” Quinn whispered to herself, and I could have sworn that her eyes were teared up. Like she really was sad. Like she really cared about Valentine. “I’ll take you to Mount Agva. But you have to understand this—we will need to run. We will need to hide from animals. And there’s a very,verygood chance that we’ll die before we set foot on the mountain. We’ll be burned to a crisp by the dragons who live there. Or eaten—one or the other.”

I nodded. “Noted. You’ll get your coins when we get there.”

She flinched. “I don’t want your coins, Fall.”

“But you’ll take them anyway.” I would not be acceptingcharity, no matter what kind of a deal she’d made with Valentine, or what her relationship to him was.

The most important thing right now was that we were going. She was coming with me.

“I’ll need to go to my aunt’s to pick up a jacket and some food,” she said.

“I have food.” I tapped the bag again.

“But I need a thicker jacket. It will get colder the closer to Agva we are.”

“Quinn, we need to leave right now. It’s very,veryimportant that we do.” Before Romin and Emil returned and found Tristian where I’d left him. Before they came out here searching for me.

“Ten minutes,” she said, moving backward to the town. “Ten minutes and I’ll be right here I promise. Just wait for me.”

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