Page 54 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

“Not the holding cell.” I paused, allowing her to connect the dots.

Her jaw dropped. “You’ve been visitinghim? You could’ve gotten caught!”

“We’re fated mates. When he was hurt, I had to go see him. Then he was upset about the dragon prince being here, and I couldn’t hide out in my room, knowing he needed comfort.” I’d thought telling her everything would make me feel better, but it didn’t. Instead, a lump formed in my throat, and the walls closed in on me. She had the power to inform both sets of my parents if she thought it was in my best interest. And I could tell she didn’t like my answers.

“Are you planning to help Tavish and Finnian escape tonight?” she asked and gestured at my left hand, which held the key.

I could say yes and leave out the part about me going with them, but she needed to realize where my loyalties lay. “Not just them.”

“What?” she whisper-shouted and shook her head. “No way.”

“I can’t be away from Tavish.” My heart stung at the thought. “And his people think he’s dead, just like we did before he came here to find me. He needs to get back. His cousin could still be hiding, and the dragon prince will be back soon, determined totake me with him to his lands. Not only that, but Father and Mother are talking about what to do with Tavish. They don’t want him to return to his people, so there’s no telling what sordid plan they’ll come up with. I can’t let him be tortured!” Even though I tried to keep my tone calm, I couldn’t help how my voice rose in tandem with my desperation.

Eiric exhaled loudly and twirled a piece of her hair around one finger as she strolled to the silathair tree. She wanted to analyze the situation, but we didn’t have time for that.

“The guard will notice the key is gone, and I need to remove their chains before that happens.” I lifted my hand with my palm facing up and opened my fingers. The moonlight streamed in, glinting off the golden metal, emphasizing my point. With a heavy heart, I spread my wings, readying to head to the bathroom. I’d wasted too much time, and I had to move; otherwise, this would have all been for naught. “Are you going to stop me?” I needed to know where her loyalties would fall, so I had an idea of what the three of us were up against.

Her wings fluttered, and she rolled her shoulders. Exhaling, she murmured, “No. I won’t.”

My wings suddenly felt lighter. Confiding in her had been the best thing I could’ve done, and I was thankful that this moment proved it. “Thank God.” I darted into the bathroom, squatted next to the edge of the sink, and pricked my finger on the spike.I’m on my way. Eiric said she won’t inform anyone about what we’re doing.

The door opened, and I stood, grabbing the lantern I’d left for this moment and stepping inside. I turned around to shut the door, only for Eiric to step into the passage with me.

I froze. “What are you doing?”

“Coming with you.” She rocked back on her heels and glared at me. “I thought that was pretty obvious.”

Out of every possible scenario, I hadn’t expected that. “You should stay here where it’s safe and not get involved. I don’t want anything coming between you and your parents.”

“Girl, if Mom and Dad find out I knew about your crazy-ass plan and I didn’t go with you, they’d chain my wings up and never let me out of their sight again.”

I snorted then clamped my mouth shut. She was right. Even though I suspected that both sets of parents would be upset with me, I trusted that Mom and Dad would see reason once everything was settled. They always insisted that the only thing they wanted was for Eiric and me to be happy. Being with Tavish was that for me. “Are you sure? Because if you feel pressured—”

She lifted a hand. “You’re my sister, and I don’t think you should be forced to marry some sexy dragon prince if you don’t want to. If Tavish makes you happy, then I want to be there to protect you and help find a way for you to get out of the arrangement with ashbreath.”

My brows shot up, and I blinked. “You think Prince Pyralis issexy?”

“That’s what you want to talk about?” Her face flushed a faint yellow.

Right. We needed to move, and I didn’t have time to argue with her about staying behind. In truth, selfishly, I wanted her to go with us.

I stepped past her and leaned down to hit the lever on this side of the wall to close the door.

“Okay, step where I do and be quiet. There are some areas where the walls are thinner, and someone could overhear us.” I moved past her, holding up the light so we could see the floor in front of us.

“Got it,” she replied, and the two of us were off.

I’m on my way,I connected with Tavish.Has the guard realized I have the key yet?

No, but he could at any moment, so try to be as fast as possible while remaining safe.He paused for a moment, and his surprise floated into me.Eiric didn’t stop you?

I had to tell her everything, but she understands that I want to be with you and the risks that we face.I didn’t know how to broach the topic of her coming with us, so I figured being straightforward was the best way to go.And she’s coming with us.

The emotions coming from Tavish weren’t easy to read.

Even though Eiric hadn’t been in the secret passage before, she didn’t slow me down. We had to be halfway to the prison cells when Tavish finally responded.

Are you sure she can be trusted?Do you think she’ll tell the guard when you get here?

---