Page 22 of Trapped to Tame
Eve glanced behind her to see both Fie and Priest appearing anxious and wondered whose tent this belonged to. Maeve came back out a moment later.
‘Come,’ she said, taking Eve’s hand and drawing her in. The woman looked past her. ‘You two may enter as well but stay in the main room.’
Without a backward glance, she pulled Eve in gently. Inside, the tent was cavernous with a large, mahogany desk and soft furs over the floors. Opulent. Beautiful. Eve realized why her Brothers – no, notherBrothers, she corrected, the men she was bound to – did not like their tent if they were used to places such as this.
She was taken through the main room, down a small hallway made with hanging canvas, and through a thick curtain into a chamber area with a large bed and a steaming bath. A blond-haired woman met her with a smile.
‘My name is Lily,’ she said. ‘Maeve tells me you have been made a Fourth.’
Eve nodded. ‘I believe so,’ she said, realizing she sounded so foolish, having no idea what had happened to her, that these women seem to know more about her than she did.
Lily gestured to the bath. ‘If you're all right with my leavings,’ she said with a chuckle, ‘the water is still clean and hot.’
Eve nodded immediately, shucking her clothes quickly in case Fie and Priest decided to drag her out. She got into the bath with a moan that she couldn't quite keep back, and Lily grinned at her.
‘Sounds like that's just what you needed.’
Eve nodded. ‘Thank you,’ she said, wondering why these women were being so kind to her.
‘Herunitawait her in the front room,’ Maeve drawled, making it obvious what she thought of them.
Lily cocked her head. ‘I will talk to them,’ she said simply, disappearing through the thick curtains.
A moment later, Eve heard her new friend exclaim from the front of the tent.
‘You!’
* * *
Priest
‘You!’said the blonde female stalking towards him. He recognized her immediately and drew his knife.
Fie got in front of him, putting a hand on his shoulder. ‘What are you doing?’ he murmured. ‘That's the Commander's Fourth.’
‘Do you not recognize her, Brother?’ Priest whispered urgently. ‘That is the human bitch that tried to murder us in Kitore. The one who can kill by touch. Stay back!’
His eyes narrowed. Why was she working for the Commander?
‘Put your knife away before someone sees you,’ Fie hissed.
With a sound of anger, Priest re-sheathed his dagger and they both turned towards the blonde woman who was now standing in front of them but making no move to use her terrible power.
‘I was beaten and almost killed because of you,’ she accused, pointing at them, jabbing Priest in the chest with herunglovedfinger.
Despite the fact that she could kill him with that finger, with the merest brush of it on his bare flesh, Priest was almost amused. Aye, this woman was a Fourth all right. He couldn’t help taking a step back though, afraid she would begin flailing like a trapped bird and accidentally kill him.
‘Why were you working for the Library if you’re a member of the Army?’ he ground out.
‘Iwasn't, you fool!’
At that moment, Quin, the Commander, strolled into his tent, flanked by his unit, Bastian and Mad Mal. He looked from Lily to Priest, his eyes homing in on Priest and Fie.
‘Why are you in my tent?’
Lily jabbed him in the chest again. ‘These are thefaeyou were sent to kill in Kitore.’
Quin and his unit shared a look, Mad Mal drawing his own blade.
