Page 85 of Joined By Magic

No nausea hit me, for once, but the fierce heat made up for it, enveloping me in a sticky embrace. Sweat beaded my skin, and my first lungful of air felt hot and soupy. This close to the border, the climate grew wet and humid.

The prince’s hand on my arm steadied me as I squinted to take in our surroundings. Bleached, scrubby bushland stretched away on one side, and jungle flanked the other, with green vines and creepers hanging from trees with skinny trunks and wide leaves. A structure stood at the tree line—a long shed with a steeply sloped roof and small slits for windows. Rough and ready, but solid.

“I have to go.” The prince’s voice pulled me to him. “I’ll be back with your mother, but . . .” He looked down at the ground.

It hit me. This might be our last moment alone together. He met my gaze, his face as unreadable as ever, but his hands came around my back. I leaned against him, breathing in the familiar scent of his skin. He kissed me, hard and fierce, our bodies pressed together. His hand tangled in my hair.

Too soon, he pulled away. Tears pricked my eyes, but I forced the swell of emotion down. Time to be strong. He needed me tough, not weepy and pathetic. “Kill him.” My voice was almost steady. “Make sure you kill that cunt.”

His lips curved up. “Vicious girl. I’ll do my best.”

With one last squeeze of my arm, he vanished.

I took a deep, steadying breath. The air seeping into my lungs had physical weight, unpleasantly moist. I ran a hand over my sweaty forehead and set off toward the shed.

The room was sparsely furnished, laid out only for a short stay—four camp chairs, a plastic table, and a camp kitchen, accompanied by a pantry stocked with tins. Four stretchers lay stacked in a corner, topped by bedding in a protective bag. An organized little spot.

Two of the chairs held Peter and Liv. Liv was dabbing at her eyes. I pulled up a seat as Leopold reappeared, depositing the big blond man. They appeared to be in the middle of an argument. “But I can—”

“No. No more arguing. You’re in charge here. Protect my wife.”

He vanished.

“Fuck!” The blond clenched his fists.

“Damien—” Peter began.

“I don’t need a lecture. Fucking mages.”

A laugh forced its way out of my mouth. Everyone’s eyes shot to me. “Sorry. I’ve thought that myself a few times.”

The four of them shared a look, and I felt the room shift. A softening of their regard. Leopold deposited his father and the other two women in quick succession. He scanned the group, face creased with worry. “Adante is going to bring some communication equipment. We’ll keep you as informed as we can, though once we’re through the portal, it’ll be sketchy. The forest blocks a lot of the signal.”

Liv stood, and everyone looked elsewhere as the two shared a final embrace. Though I felt like a voyeur, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. The openness of their affection. The way their love radiated out for all to see. It hurt, and it took all my strength not to let my long-restrained tears fall.

The prince wouldn’t do that for me.

A movement to the side drew me away from the couple. The prince had appeared, along with my mum, who looked shaken and nauseated. I shot over to them. “Are you—”

“What’s she doing here?” Liv asked, her voice surprisingly strong. “I won’t have her here. She’s not welcome.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Liv

Itwasthefinalstraw. One thing too much, on the back of all I’d already dealt with. Helen—though the name was as fake as everything else about her—turned red-rimmed eyes to me.

“Liv, I’m so sorry.” Helen stepped forward, hand outstretched. No. My anger surged, aided by memories of all the times I’d poured my heart out to her. My one true friend in the palace. The person who had comforted me, seen my tears, and held my hand through the most vulnerable, humiliating period of my life.

It had all been a lie. Every embarrassing word, every raw emotion, would have been packaged up and shipped back to the Ataran king for him to pour over. Each kind gesture had been just a method to squeeze out a bit more intel about Leo.

Fuck her all the way to hell.

“No.” I spun to face Leo, who watched me, shocked, as if he’d pigeonholed Helen’s betrayal as something minor and expected me to do the same. Well, that was fine for him. Helen had never seen him cry. “Take her back to the palace. I won’t share this space with her.”

Talia stepped forward, anger flashing. She addressed Leo. “You can’t. The king would kill her for betraying him. She protected you. She didn’t tell him you planned to expose him at the wedding reception.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Adante set a device on the table, similar to a link-up but more solid, with a military look to it. He switched it on. “We’ll send through updates when we’re able.” He turned to Leo. “Let’s go.”

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