Page 117 of Bound By Roses

“I do,” Jade says as he lands solidly on his feet, as if he didn’t just drop fifteen feet. How a single person didn’t realize he was there, I have no idea.

I move for him before I’m thinking and slam him against the tree, my forearm pressing against his exposed throat. The flesh there is far too hot, but my skin isn’t burning. Yet.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I growl. If I’m being honest, most of this anger stems from the fact that he wasn’t there when Teagan needed blood. Even if it wasn’t his blood she needed, he should have been there.

“Remove your hands or lose them.” The warning is casual, but there’s just enough seriousness in his tone that I know he still doesn’t trust himself. There was a time that this alone would have set me ablaze, so he probably deserves more credit than he’s giving himself.

“Do it,” Abby says as she moves to my side. I release the dragon and let her check my arms for injury, though she’ll find none. Merrick, thankfully, seems all too happy to take my place. At least he is fireproof when he wants to be, and judging by the blue-black scales now rippling up his arms, he has no intention of letting Jade get away with a non-answer.

“Where were you?” Merrick asks, his tone nearly matching my growl. It seems Jade’s absence has bothered him, too.

Jade rolls his eyes. “You’re always so dramatic. I’ve been around.”

“That’s not an answer,” Abby says before Merrick or I can call him out on it.

His gaze flicks to hers for just a moment before they settle on me. “Just a bit north of here.”

North. But that’s…

Merrick must realize it too, because he wraps a hand around Jade’s neck and squeezes, leaving just enough room for air to pass, but the threat is clear. “You have no business in Lunae unless you betrayed us.”

Jade seems just as nonchalant as ever. “Would I be here if I did?”

That remains to be seen. “Then explain,” I say, loud enough to make sure everyone hears it. I want to hear what he has to say before this dissolves into yet another argument with Erwyn. Especially if I can’t count on having Merrick back me this time.

Just as I expected, Erwyn pushes forward and unsheathes a large knife. “I can get the truth out of him.”

Jade laughs. “I’d like to see you try.” Erwyn goes red in the face, but before he can throw the blade, Jade’s mouth moves again. “I know where the Guardians are gathering.”

“Where?” Either he was listening to our conversation last night or he really was in Lunae because he shouldn’t know that some of the Guardians are unaccounted for.

“Let go of me and I’ll tell you.”

Merrick looks conflicted, but ultimately releases his grip. He doesn’t retract his claws, so clearly he hasn’t decided whether or not to trust Jade. This absolutely looks bad, but flying off to Lunae is exactly the kind of reckless thing he would do. Evenbefore he became this new version of himself, he would call thishelping.

“Where are they?” I repeat the question. There’s a whole bunch more I want to ask, but that’s still the most important. If what he says is true, that is.

“They’re rounding people up in the city square. Apparently, there’s going to be an execution.”

My heart drops, and it has nothing to do with his sarcastic tone. This isn’t just any execution. This istheexecution. The one Evan warned us about. History is going to repeat itself and it’s happening now. They’re going to murder the common people of Lunae. Anyone who isn’t a Guardian or useful to Imelda and her fucked up son. They’re going to tear open the veil and release an army of wraiths that will flourish under Void’s darkness.

My mouth is too dry to speak, but it seems I don’t have to. A single word escapes Abby’s lips, and they sound just as dry as mine. “When?”

“Tonight.”

Her eyes widen. “Under the full moon. This is just another sacrifice to Imelda.”

Fuck, she’s right.

All at once, another spark ignites in my mind. “She’ll want the moon visible, won’t she?”

“I guess we haven’t lost the element of surprise,” Erwyn grumbles. He’s still hoping this turns into a fight.

Void will have to dismiss his shadows, at least for the execution. It may only give us minutes, perhaps seconds, but we might just be able to pull this off. Except...

“How are we going to get them out if they’re gathered together and guarded?” Rhett voices the very concern already working through my mind.

The smart thing would be to leave them to their fate, but that’s not who I am anymore. I don’t do the strategic thing whenthe moral choice is too great. I was raised to not care about these people. Trained to slaughter them, just as Imelda plans to now.

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