Page 17 of Luca

The unknown scared me, but what else could I do? I was now also,technically, an accomplice in hiding something from Cair, which made me super uncomfortable, but considering our lives were very possibly at stake, I knew he would understand. He would do the same thing if he were in my shoes.

Or he would’ve dueled her, but that wasn’t exactly an option for me.

“Do heed what I said, little dove,” Maeve threw over her shoulder, startling me from my thoughts. “Don’t get brave out there. Let my brother take the hit. He may not be good for much, but he’ll make a pretty decent shield.”

I frowned after her, confused and irritated by her warning in equal measure, and seconds later, Cair strode into the hall. He looked extremely handsome in his more casual, fairy-tale-prince clothes and unfairly slutty pirate boots, but that was a total distraction. He scowled at his sister but gave her a reluctant acknowledgment before she disappeared from view.

He was at my side in an instant, his hands bracketing my cheeks. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” I let out a humorless laugh. “Just Maeve being Maeve.”

Cair hummed, studying my expression with a small crease between his brows. “You are certain? I won’t tolerate?—”

I placed a hand over his, smiling softly. “I am okay.”

What Maeve said had rattled me, of course it had, but telling Cair and breaking my promise—risking her wrath—was not worth it. It would only lead to unnecessary bloodshed and even more animosity within the palace walls. I wasn’t so green as to expect my life here to ever be smooth sailing, but I would prefer my existence to be as peaceful as possible.

And setting off my mate’s protective instincts would do the opposite.

After a beat, the tension in Cair’s frame visibly eased, and he smiled back at me. “In that case, you’ll be happy to know that I have everything in place, and though I doubt my father will stay entirely ignorant of us leaving the palace…” He glanced pointedly at the empty corner Maeve had disappeared around. “I’ve taken the necessary precautions to lessen the fallout and keep our purpose and route as confidential as possible. Rathe will handle anything else of importance.”

“I don’t think Maeve will mention it,” I said vaguely. “It wouldn’t benefit her. You know what she’s like—serves herself first.”

“You have more faith than I do.”

Yeah,faith.

“I’m just trying not to worry about it,” I said, though I was in fact worrying about it. Marginally less than earlier though, so that was progress. “If she tells him, she tells him. There’s nothing much we can do about it now.”

Cair hummed in acknowledgment. “You’re right.”

“I often am,” I joked, and he huffed a faint laugh.

“Then are you ready to leave?”

My palms started to sweat a little. “Ready”was a loaded word—would anyone ever really be ready to meet their father after twenty-seven years? I supposed it didn’t matter. Now that I’d found a clue, I wouldn’t rest until I had answers, so whether I was prepared or not, I had to go.

It was time.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” I said with a nervous chuckle. Cair reached forward to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. The touch barely grazed my skin, but it calmed my racing thoughts.

“If at any point you want to turn back, just say the word. There is no obligation.”

Only to myself.

I nodded, and Cair kissed me, slow and sweet, before guiding me to the kitchens where my bag was already waiting. I shouldered the pack, slightly surprised by how light it felt on my shoulders considering everything inside. Magic really was a wonder. We slipped through the side door, leaving the palace, and though I was buzzing with excitement, there was an uneasy feeling in my belly. It was just nerves.

Probably.

LUCA

As was the norm with most of the palaces I’d read about in fairy tales, there was a wall that enclosed the capital; a tall, impenetrable layer of stone that we thankfully didn’t have to scale. We strolled right out the rear gates with no drama, no questions, and there was even a little bounce in my step because it all seemed so straightforward.

It was the next part that made me regret my life choices.

Typically, the stories also mentioned a moat, or a dense forest, or mountains that enclosed a kingdom, protecting all subjects inside—separating the nobles from the common folk, more like. Well, this place had all three.

Prime location.

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