Page 86 of A Fate so Cruel

She laughed at that. “Yeah. But he doesn’t like the thought of me being alone with any male.

“He . . . desires you?”

She shrugged. “He’s not been subtle about it, but I think I need alcohol to travel down that road.”

Rion’s stomach rolled. “I think I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.” He stared at her sidelong. “Thank you, by the way, for—well—last night.”

“You’re welcome.” She stood and dusted off her shorts before approaching and offering her hand. “Come on, let’s get moving and see if we can’t find a decent inn before nightfall.”

Chapter Thirteen

Their pace was slow, almost annoyingly so. If he’d been with anyone else, Rion would have blown them off and pressed forward.

But he was with Selina. And she was caring for him in ways only Saoirse had ever done.

Selina insisted they stop every few miles to check and clean his wounds. He kept telling her he was fine and that they could wait, but the female refused to listen. He didn’t push her away, either.

Rion watched the way her face scrunched, the way she tilted his arm to inspect the wounds, and how carefully she spread cooling salve across the still open holes along his arm. She wouldn’t let him carry anything, no matter how much he insisted.

Did she really care or was that part of her act, too? She’d already admitted to being sent to kill him. Was it too much to hope that she might disobey her High Lord? Had it even been a command or was it merely a suggestion?

She hadn’t struck out at him while he’d slept. She hadn’t tried to poison him. And she hadn’t finished him off the other night when she’d had the perfect opportunity.

He’d been watching her for days, trying to figure her out. He’d wait before pursuing anything, just to solidify her intentions. Get to know her better as a comrade and see the female behind the mask.

They’d been on the road for three days and had only discussed the mission, the weather, and their next destination. Selina pointed out all her marked locations where warehouses manufacturing the poison had been found and destroyed along with small villages that had been targeted by the rebel forces.Their presumption was that the villages had refused to join the rebel cause.

The dots along her map were heavy in the north around Nàdair and outlying villages. They hypothesized that the rebels intended to hit those very places before they’d been discovered.

Caravans had been caught in transit further south, some by accident, others by warriors scouting the land.

But two things were perfectly clear.

First, Alec wasn’t bluffing. The rebel operation was just as large and concerning as he’d made it out to be.

Second, it was painfully obvious their main operation centered in the south. Likely in Whiteridge, despite Selina dismissing their involvement.

But the female had found something else that had caught her attention, which was why they were trekking north instead of south. It was too far for his liking. He wanted to get this mission over with, but as reluctant as he was to admit it, he needed time to heal, too. Whiteridge would likely end in bloodshed, and he needed to be in top form before the confrontation.

Rion sat on the edge of the bed, watching Selina carefully as she re-wrapped his bandages. His blood ignited with every brush of her fingertips and his heart betrayed him, beating too fast. He knew she could hear it and was thankful she never commented.

“I doubt news of what happened in Fernsworth has reached the village, so we shouldn’t have to worry. There’s an elder there in charge of things who should have probably faded decades ago.”

“And you think they’re the ones involved?”

Selina shook her head. “Another name was mentioned in a coded letter. From what I gathered, he’s the one in chargeof their financials. He’s been smuggling funds and materials through their underground tunnels.”

“What do you want to do if we encounter them?”

“Nothing. We need to lie low after Fernsworth. If we hit them again in a main network, they’ll know we’re on to them and might go underground.”

“What about the civilians who’ll suffer if we do nothing?” Because that poison wasn’t headed for Nàdair. Not yet.

Aching sadness swept across her features. He hated that look. He’d do almost anything to never see it again. “Sometimes sacrifices are necessary.”

Rion’s jaw clenched. He wanted to argue, but reality was cruel. She was right: If they hit them again before discovering the leaders, they might disappear and it could be years before they resurfaced. With how the poison had already progressed, he didn’t want to imagine them getting more time to perfect the formula.

“When we find the one responsible for all this, I’m going to rip him apart.”

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