Page 95 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

I stared at him blankly. “The what?”

His jaw tightened. “Did Callan not tell you anything about this place or its dangers?”

Before I could answer, voices echoed from down the road.

Fae males. Two hedgerows over. Coming this way. They looked nothing like the cloaked figures from before,but I tensed anyway.

“What happens if someone finds me out here?” I asked.

With you.

We both knew the unspoken ending of that question.

Rydian eyed them then glanced at me, his frown etched like a permanent fixture on his handsome face. “This way.”

He didn’t take my hand this time, turning and striding off without so much as looking to see if I followed.

Arrogant asshole.

The temptation to let him go almost won out. But a group of rebels called the Withered had clearly targeted me today, and I had a feeling my fiancé wasn’t going to tell me much about them if I asked. On top of that, I was hopelessly lost in a foreign city—not to mention weaponless.

Seven Hels.

With a glance skyward, I hurried to catch up.

Rydian cut through yards and hopped fences. I kept pace, though if he was surprised at my agility, he didn’t show it. Eventually, we ended up at the back door of a modest house on a dead-end street.

“Where are we?” I asked, breathless—though not from the workout. The movement had been welcomed after so many days of being stuck in the castle. But no, it was the look in Rydian’s eyes that made it suddenly hard to breathe.

“Somewhere safe.”

He didn’t give me a chance to argue before he shoved the door open and strode inside.

I followed, wary.

Then again, if he was going to hurt me, he could’ve done it a dozen times over by now. Or simply stood by and watched someone else do it for him.

I stepped into a small, well-kept kitchen, and the scent of freshly baked bread hit my nose. Inhaling appreciatively, I looked around for the source. But Rydian rounded on me, his large body pressing in close enough to blot out the view of thekitchen behind him. There wasn’t a shred of hospitality in his eyes.

“What were you really doing in the city today?” he asked roughly.

“Shopping,” I said, startled.

He frowned as if that hadn’t been the right answer. “What did Callan tell you about the rebels you saw?”

“Not much,” I said, trying to get my bearings. “He said there was unrest in the city. He didn’t want to come today, but I convinced him.”

“Why?”

“To see the city. To see where I live now. To meet the Autumn people.”

Because it had been his way of shutting me down about doing anything else—like actually going to look for answers to this curse.

Rydian stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the small space. “And what did you see, Furious?”

Before I could answer, voices sounded in the other room. Heavy footsteps approached. I tensed, balling my hands into fists as I readied to fight. Angry with myself that I’d been found weaponless, yet again, when I needed one most.

Two males rounded the corner, and I recognized them both as part of Rydian’s unit. They’d ridden with us from Sevanwinds and fought ruthlessly against the Obsidians who’d attacked us in the forest. The blond male had been the one to care for my horse.

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