Page 15 of A Sky of Emerald Stars

“I’m still unsure the Silver Wolves even know Ora possesses such secrets.” I shrugged. “It’s just as likely Nero did it to piss off Calla.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Maez muttered. “But we still need to know exactly how serious this threat is.”

“Ora has traveled all around the continent; I imagine they’ve acquired all sorts of secrets during their travels,” I said. “They can be in a roomful of Wolves and be unseen, just a performer, just window dressing. They probably hear all sorts of drunken whispers at parties and events.”

“But one so important?” Maez pulled her feet off the table and rested her elbows on her knees, jiggling one leg up and down. “One the Silver Wolves would take Ora to get? Or at least one that Navin fears they’d stumble upon?” She let out a frustrated sigh. “And Navin won’t tell you what it is?”

“No.”

“Then you need to get closer to him,” she said. “I know you don’t want to—”

“It’s fine,” I muttered. “You should keep searching this place. Maybe there’re secrets hiding within the nooks and crannies of the wagon. I’ll deal with Navin.”

She was right. He was already opening up to me more than he seemed like he wanted to, which meant he would be willing to divulge more the closer I got to him. And any guilt I might feel for that was mitigated by the fact that I absolutely didn’t care for him in any way whatsoever.

“We need to know what we’re walking into,” Maez said. “Ifhe was willing to tell you this much... why couldn’t he tell you what this secret was?”

“I don’t know.” I held Maez’s dark gaze. “But whatever this world-changing secret is, he must know it, too. And his brother.”

“I need to shift soon. I’ll update Briar on what little we know so far.” She tipped her chin toward me. “You need to get these answers out of him.”

My hand slid to my belt of knives. “Oh, I intend to.”

Maez clicked her tongue. “Not that way.”

“You mean you think I should seduce the answers out of him,” I grumbled.

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“If you have to. Definitely that over the knives.”

“But Iknowhow to use knives. I have no idea how to do...that,” I groaned. “I am not the fluttering eyelashes kind of Wolf. I’m the tear out your throat with my teeth kind of Wolf. If you wanted someone for seduction, you should’ve picked better.”

“There was a time, not that long ago, when it seemed like you both mutually wanted to get in each other’s pants,” Maez goaded. “I know things have soured between you two, but some of that attraction must still be there.”

“Nope.”

“So that’s why you held his hand for hours?”

I glared at her. “You werespyingon us?”

“The hand-holding worked,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Now if you’d only Wolf up and start holding some other parts, maybe we’d get some answers out of him.”

“You are seriously foul.”

“And you are seriously naive.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you want to know what he’s hiding from us?”

“Yes,” I gritted out.

“Then find a way to get him to willingly let down his defenses,” she said. “If he can guard his mind like Ora can, thenthere will be no prying answers out of him with the tip of your blade. The tip of your tongue, on the other hand...”

I scowled at her, knowing that she was right. I had a new court to protect, a new family that could be hurt by Navin’s secrets... I’d put my pride aside and get closer to the human. Whatever this secret was, I needed to know it, too.

Maez stood and turned an ear toward the sky. “He’s coming back.”

I nodded and we switched into a conversation about the proper way to cook gloftas as Navin climbed the wagon steps. Whatever I had thought this diplomatic mission to be was slowly unraveling before my eyes.

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