Page 60 of Desire

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Garron passed Brandle two cups and grabbed me when I would have followed with the one I held.

“Snow, it’s better to stay in here.”

Looking pale and without his usual smile, Eadric appeared in the opening and took one of the cups from me.

“Take a sip quickly, Sparrow,” he said.

Garron lifted the cup to my lips when I didn’t immediately move to do so. After I swallowed once, he handed both cups to Eadric, who vanished as quickly as he appeared.

I turned to Garron.

“Do not keep secrets from me, Garron. What’s wrong?”

“Liam’s burns are bad. He’s suffering, and none of us want you to witness it. You already fainted once.” He paused. “Edmund was stabbed as well.”

“How badly?”

“Very.”

I stared at the door and felt the dangerous combination of anger and fear again.

The dishes started to rattle.

“Snow?”

“Don’t let me hurt anyone.”

He spun me around and kissed me. It wasn’t his typical soft and sweet kiss that melted my resolve. It was desperate and demanding. I answered in kind, tangling my fingers in his hair.

His hands smoothed down my sides and curved around to my backside. With a firm grip, he effortlessly lifted me. I pressed myself close, taking in the heat of his body and reveling in the contact.

When we finally broke apart, the dishes no longer rattled, and I didn’t feel a hint of anger—though the worry for Edmund and Liam remained. Garron held me as his breathing slowed then carefully set me down.

“Will the tea be enough?” I asked.

“Four cups should be. Edmund and Liam will drink a full cup and whatever is left of the other two.”

“We can’t continue like this.” I glanced at the cellar door. Garron had said the tracker was down there. Where I was cursed not to utter a word against Maeve, perhaps he was not. But even if he couldn’t speak of Maeve’s evil intent, there were other questions to ask.

“What are you thinking?” Garron said.

“I would like to speak with the tracker.”

“Brandle won’t?—”

“Brandle needs to remain focused on Liam and Edmund. We need to find out what the others have planned and why they attacked after five days of hesitancy.”

I opened myself, feeling the weather and the forest around the cottage. In it, I felt the beasts, my father, and the remaining trackers.

“They’re looking for him and will return to the clearing if they don’t find him soon. That is not something we can allow.”

Garron considered me for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. He went down the ladder first and lit the candle before telling me to come down.

The tracker lay on his side with his hands bound behind him to his ankles. A rag in his mouth muffled his panicked sounds when he saw me.

“Choose who you fear more—the person who sent you or me—and answer accordingly,” I said.

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