Page 152 of A Court Bright and Broken

“You can’t do that,” Pharis said. “Father will never allow it.”

Raising a pointed finger toward me, he added, “And he’llneverallowher.”

“He isn’t going to know about her, not until it’s too late,” Stellon said.

Pharis’ look of shock intensified. “Too late? You can’t mean you intend to bond with her. Wait—tonight?”

Pulling me to his side and wrapping a protective arm around me, Stellon gave his brother a long, hard look, during which I assumed some serious mind-to-mind conversation was going on.

Pharis pulled his eyes away from Stellon’s to stare at me in disbelief and then returned them to his brother for one long moment before spinning on his heel and storming away.

Chapter 41

Whatever is Necessary

Stellon

As soon as Pharis was gone, Raewyn looked up at me with a panicked expression.

“What’s happening? Is he going to turn me in?”

I shook my head and pulled her to my front again, stroking her hair then pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She had become so precious to me, but my time with her was about to come to an end.

Thinking of that eventuality sent literal pain slicing through my midsection. I wanted to pull her inside myself so I could keep her safe always.

“No. He won’t, Firebug,” I said. “He made a promise not to tell anyone about you, and he’s kept it. He vowed that he’ll continue tokeep it.”

“And you believe him?” she asked, clearlynotbelieving him.

“I do.”

Pharis had never betrayed me before, and after the mental conversation we’d just had, I was sure he had no intention to do so now.

“He recommitted to his vow just now mind-to-mind,” I told Raewyn, “though he wasn’t thrilled about it, to say the least. Wecan’t lie to each other that way. Pharis won’t betray the secret… but someone might.”

She tunneled her hands between us and pushed back to look at my face.

“What does that mean?”

Grand Star, she was beautiful—even now in this moment of distress.

The sadness threatened to drop me where I stood, siphoning all the strength from my legs. I walked over to the settee, pulling Raewyn with me and settling her on my lap where I ran my hands over her back, her arms, her legs.

It felt like I was standing at the edge of the Drylands, about to attempt a desert crossing with no water flasks. I was trying to cram a lifetime of touching her into these last few moments.

“It means… you have to leave. As soon as possible.” The words burned like hot coals as they came out.

“Because though I believe my brother will keep his word, I also know a secret like yours won’t stay buried forever,” I said. “I don’t know who else the Earthwife might have told. The jailer? A cellmate? Even a whisper of a royal assassination plot is cause for execution. I can’t take the chance of my father finding out while you’re here under his roof. I’m getting you out of here within the hour.”

“But how?” Raewyn asked. I was gratified to see sorrow on her face as well.

Part of me wished we’d completed the bonding before Pharis had burst into the room, but another, smaller and much wiser part understood that my father might very well take her headanywayto punish me.

I simply couldn’t take the chance.

“We’ll use the secret passageways to get down to the kitchen.”

I knew the way like the back of my hand. Pharis and Mareth and I had used the passages throughout our childhoods to filch sweets when we were supposed to be in bed.

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