Page 6 of A Deception of Courts

“Robin,” Duncan said, using my name to draw me back to him. Like an anchor, the deep alto of his voice had the power to gather me in his hands and make me feel safe. “Do you trustme?”

“I know where you are going with this,” I replied, losing myself in his deep, forest stare.

“Then you don’t need me to remind you that I trust Kayne, so put your faith in me. Regardless of what his thoughts are toward your…”Kind. He wanted to say it but held back as he caught daggers from Althea. “What I’m trying to say is Aldrick is our common enemy. Fey, human, he is a threat to us all. Ensuring he cannot do what he has done to me again is the first link in the chain that we must break. We can only win if we work together.”

“Ever considered trading in the hunting ofmy kindfor a living and giving speeches to the downtrodden instead?” Althea questioned, head tilting sideways an inch. There was no denying the sharp steel in her voice. I winced as she sliced through the sudden tension between us. “You’d do well at it.”

“Please. I haven’t allowed for time to argue,” I said, before Duncan could retort with whatever lingered across his full lips. Turning my attention, I regarded Kayne and Lucari a final time. The hawk scrutinised me through beady, wary eyes from her perch upon his shoulder. “Kayne, I trust you will do the right thing when presented with it.”

He nodded, gaze sharp as a blade.

“Then there’s only one way to find out,” Althea replied for him, pushing past us all so she could get a look at the next barrier we had to get through. “So, who’s ready for some rough and tumble?”

Duncan grinned, raising his hand to the two-handed hilt protruding from the cloak upon his back. It was his way of confirming he was, in fact, ready.

Kayne followed his friend, drawing out the twin swords resting patiently on his belt, twisting each in a full arc at his side as Lucari chirped with equal readiness. “I’m in.”

I had weapons at my hip and others strapped around my arms and thighs. Seraphine had taken a keen interest in training me in the art of sharp objects, even though my best weapon lingered in my blood. Magic. I may not have been accepted into the guild with my skills, or lack thereof, but I was more confident with the handle of a blade in my hand than I had been before.

Although tonight, those were not my weapons of choice.

Nor was a blade or axe something Althea planned to use. I recognised the heat spilling from her skin as it reared its presence to the surface. Magic sang in the air, delighted for the release. We would fight with the power Aldrick longed to harvest – turning what he desired most back on his hard work.

Although I’d yet to release the hold on my magic, I could feel its hunger for revenge. It comforted me.

“Before we go,” Duncan muttered, pulling me tight to him. “One last thing.”

Our entanglement had been reserved from public displays of affection. It had not felt right to flaunt it around Althea, or Kayne for that matter. They both knew about us, but still, there was an unspoken rule which kept distance between us when others were around.

A rule which Duncan swiftly broke before we threw ourselves into the pending fight. He pressed himself to me, sword gripped in his hand to stop himself from reaching out for my face, as I was confident he wished to do. With a quick dip of his head, I found his lips pressed to my own.

A wave of serene peace rushed over me. Before I closed my eyes, I caught the deepening of the single, lined scar which ran from the corner of his eye to the corner of his lip. It was one of many imperfections I obsessed over. I didn’t need to run my finger down its trail to know just how it felt to touch. That feeling was already embedded deep in my mind.

His kiss was soft and far too quick. It wasn’t ridden with the usual tangling of tongues and nipping of teeth at lips. It was pleasant like a compliment, one which warmed my soul.

When Duncan pulled away, I gravitated toward him. My weight fell against his rigid, firm stance. He breathed out a sigh that sang with a smile.

“My king,” Duncan said.

“Shouldn’t you bow when speaking to me?” I whispered.

Duncan’s bright eyes flashed as he winked. “There will be time for that later, once we free your people and amend some wrongs.”

I stood, dumbfounded, as Duncan drifted away from me, nudged Kayne on the shoulder and strode out in full view of our enemies. For a moment, I almost called for him to stop, forgetting that this was all part of the plan.Myplan.

With the confidence of royalty or someone who simply believed he belonged somewhere, Duncan strode toward the murmuring guards, who soon noticed him. Highlighted by the backdrop of the burning slums of Lockinge, Duncan called out with a voice conditioned with command from years of being his prior deadly self.

General Duncan Rackley, the Hunter.

“Aren’t you going to see what all the fuss is about?” Duncan’s shout carried through the night, hardly muffled by the drawing of swords or the twang of bows being pulled taut. “Your city is burning, and you’re standing around like you don’t have a care in the world.”

“Halt!” a Hunter shouted.

Duncan didn’t stop.

Come on.

Althea gripped the back of my cloak to stop me from running out.

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