Page 81 of The Sins of Silas

I need to calm down.

How could she do such a thing? I wasn’t about to yell at her, considering how injured she was. And I was amazed by her bravery…by her strength.

But I wouldneverwant her to risk herself for me. I had already lost her once, already suffered. I couldn’t go through it again.

Elowen's mother…and Igon. It was clear the necromancer made a stop in Ames. Why were they so much different than the Undead we encountered on the road?

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and was just about to continue forward when Merrick emerged. I attempted to straighten myself, to look less unnerved. As if the Empath would fall for it.

We glared at each other in silence for a moment before Merrick’s eyes softened.

“If the two of you wish to keep your history under wraps, you’ll need to do a better job pretending like she means nothing more than an ally to you.”

My eyes widened, my mouth drying. “You…you know?”

He nodded, his eyes going dark. “I put two and two together after Lena spoke of her miscarriage to the group.” He slid his hands into his pockets. “I was confused as to why I could sense that you loved her when I read you back at the fort. It made no sense.”

I chewed on my lip, and he continued, “But once I sensed your emotions as she told her story…that’s when I knew. Knew you were Quill…were the love of her life.”

As much as it horrified me to have someone know our secret, part of me also felt like a slight weight was lifted off my chest. I loosened a breath. “You can’t tell anyone—”

“Yes, I know. She insisted the same thing.”

I crossed my arms and rested my head against the wall.

Deep breaths.

Merrick’s eyes remained dark. “Would you have loved her still?”

I tilted my head toward him, brows furrowed.

“Would you have loved her back then if she told you what she was?”

What would I have done if she told me she was a Mage? Would I have been disgusted by her? Would I have had her banished, or after the kill order was placed, have her murdered?

Would I have loved her still, despite it all?

My stare was unwavering as I replied quietly, “Nothing could’ve made me not love her.”

And I knew as his eyes widened slightly, as they returned to an icy blue, he knew I was telling the truth.

I charged up to Leroy after I exited the changing area behind the main stage. “How did those creatures make it past your guards?” I snarled.

Leroy ran a hand through his golden hair, looking at Logan, then back at me. “They killed the guards. All of them.”

I shook my head. “They could still be in your kingdom.”

His face was weary, his eyes dropping to the ground. “I know…I know.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, looking around at all the people standing about, debating if it was safer to go up or stay underground. “Well, for starters, we need to assign new guards. We need to reinforce the borders.” My eyes trailed back to him. I had felt something off moments before the attack, and apparently,Lena had too, according to Roland. “Lena gets a sense when those things are nearby. Once she is healed and feeling up to it, she can let us know if she feels anything…hopefully give us some peace of mind.”

“You're making orders as if you're our king,” Logan said with crossed arms.

My nostrils flared at his tone, but Leroy placed an arm on his shoulder. “Silas has great experience with running a kingdom. I am grateful for any help we can get.” Leroy's gaze hardened on mine. “We need to meet with the council the moment she is awake.”

It had been ten hours since Lena fell asleep. Her wounds had all been healed by Elowen after about three, and the healer nearly passed out herself, Edmund carrying her to a room they could share.

I was able to catch a few hours of sleep, but not uninterrupted. Every half hour, it seemed my eyes would find themselves open. Era slept beside me in one of those paid adult rooms, which were currently being overlooked by Warlocks.

---