Page 131 of A Fate so Cruel

Carefully and without touching her, Rion raised the glass to Selina’s lips. She used her good arm to hold it and took several slow sips.

Selina leaned back into the pillows and looked around the room again. “Where are we?”

Rion shrugged. “Some small village north of Whiteridge.”

She furrowed her brow. “And we—” She stopped, seeming to recall the events from last night. “You . . . saved me.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and sank back into the chair. “Of course I saved you. Did you expect I’d just leave you there?”

Selina shook her head and winced again, lifting her arm to gently prod her jaw. “I didn’t see it coming. One minute I was talking and the next—” Rain pelted the roof. She sighed. “How bad is it?”

“I’m not a healer, but I’d venture to guess you have a few broken ribs. The arm might be fractured, too.”

Selina reached for the blanket paused upon noticing her exposed shoulders. “You wrapped me?”

He nodded and turned away. “It was dark.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s a shower down the hall when you feel up to it.”

“What happened?”

Rion ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “They set us up. The entire thing was a trap. The names on the list aren’t even real.”

Her brows lifted. “You got a list?”

“Yes, but—”

“Let me see it.”

Rion pulled the crumbled parchment from his pocket and handed it to her. He’d looked at it again while she’d been sleeping and cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. There were names, but all of them were from Nàdair. Officials, council members, leaders. Saoirse and Alec. Himself. He ventured a guess that it was more of a hit list than anything. All those who would be against the rebel’s taking power.

“What about the formula?” she hedged.

Rion just stared at a loose thread in the thick blanket. “I’d venture to guess it’s likely the same one Saoirse and I busted him for years ago.”

“So we have nothing.” Rion clenched his jaw. Selina stared at the list of names again, reading each one carefully before crushing it in her fist and throwing it off to the side of the bed. “At least tell me they’re dead.”

“Every single one.”

“Good.”

“Except for Foley, but he’ll get what’s coming to him.”

She lifted a brow. “You didn’t kill him?”

“I—” Rion paused and lowered his voice. “I should have. It would have taken less than a second, but after what he told me, I just . . . ran.”

She lifted her wrapped arm and draped it across her torso. Her voice was full of emotion as she said, “Thank you, they were . . . cruel.” He wanted to ask her so many questions but didn’t dare. They were already dead anyway and he was going tokill the one who’d given the command next. “So what’s the plan now?”

“You’re going to rest,” Rion said and stood. “I’ll get you something to eat, then we’re heading back to Nàdair.”

“To hell we are. We still have a mission to finish.”

“Not in your condition.”

She tried to move and grimaced again. “Fine, I’ll rest, but just for a bit.”

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