Page 95 of Claiming Sarah

Allegiantpowered up over us, engines roaring. Loudly, he said in my ear, “Thanks for making my brain work again.”

I giggled. “You’re welcome.”

CHAPTER 29

Jacaranda

We boarded the ship and sent word ahead to Valor to let him know what was coming his way. Deacon insisted on stopping to pick up Rex and his crew first. I couldn’t believe it.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said, wondering what had gotten into Deacon…besides Sarah. “Let them walk it—you don’t owe him anything.”

But Deacon merely said, “He is a part of this truce. Pretending otherwise is foolish. Let us go save him. We cannot delay.”

I was pretty sure Deacon wanted to pick him up to show him that he had fixedAllegiantbefore Rex could get to Faithless, so I didn’t complain. No matter their history, Deacon had a need to prove himself to his former mentor. So I stopped objecting.

A short while later, our ship touched down on the path near where Rex and his crew were heading toward Faithless. Wewalked out, and Deacon asked, “Would you like a ride to my father’s house?”

“If you don’t mind, I would prefer to go to Faithless first,” Rex replied, as they all came on board. “I’m sure you understand—I prefer to drive myself. But Idoappreciate the consideration, my boy.”

“You would do the same for any of your allies, would you not?” Deacon asked, as Drift set course for Faithless.

Rex smirked. “Of course.” But none of us believed him.

During the ride, while we were all sitting in the café, I asked Rex, “How did Augur get one over on you? I thought you were too cynical to be taken in by a pretty face.”

“She gotseveralover on me, truth be told,” he said in a disgruntled tone. “Perhaps I was too willing to believe that she could be on my side. It would have been nice to have had a friend.”

I gestured to his men. “What are they?”

“Paid.”

I nodded knowingly. “Understood.”

“Maybe when all of this is over,” Sarah said with a smile, “we can all be friends. Like actual friends. Not just allies.”

“I would like that very much, Queen.”

She rolled her eyes at the formal title. “Sarah,” she gently corrected him.

Before we left them at the gates of Faithless, Deacon gave Rex the coordinates to Valor’s property and reminded him of the time we’d all agreed to meet, along with the conduits. “This evening, as the moons rise.”

Rex nodded. “We will be there,” he promised, then he and his hired hands leftAllegiant.

Sarah breathed deeply once they were gone. “Feels like there’s more air in here now.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” I said, sitting down beside her as the ship took off again. “But just think of it—after tonight, all of this could be over for us.”

“I know.” She met my gaze, a small little furrow between her brows. “I just…I’ll be glad when it’s all done. One way or the other.”

“What is it?” I asked, sensing there was more on her mind.

“I know things arestrainedbetween Deacon and Rex, but I meant what I said. Now that their history is out of the bag, if they can get past it, I think they could actually be friends.” She shrugged, looking hopeful. “Maybe I’m naïve, but if it’s possible, I’d like that. I know Rex planned to use Augur and the conduits to get some kind of control over me and them, but obviously, that’s not going to happen. If I can make him understand that we are on the same side, we can bring peace to Halla. Rex has a lot of sway with the ghosts. We could use some of that. But…” her voice trailed off as a troubled look entered her eyes. “The men with Rex—they seemed like they were itching for a fight. I half expected them to try something against us.”

“They’re mercenaries,” I told her. “In my experience, they always seem like they’re poised for an attack.”

Sarah considered what I’d said for a moment. “That makes sense, I guess.”

I reached over and touched her leg. “So, you and Deacon, you’re good again?” I asked.

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