Page 173 of The Lands Defying
He definitely saw me.
I saw his eyes widening and then quickly turning to fury. And I have no idea what he will do with that.
I look down at Rhea, lifting her hands and inspecting the blood on them. It isn’t hers, so she must have caused some damage to the guard she punched.
She says nothing, just stares at Edward with a mixture of hurt and hope. Leo ports in next, brow sweaty and bow hanging loosely in his hand.
“That was interesting.” He says, eyeing me for a moment before he looks down at the three males. He sighs, putting his bow over his shoulders and going to them with a knife. They panic, trying to roll away. “I’m not going to hurt you, I’m going to undo your hands.”
They are still tense as he does just that, looking over to me and Edward with fear in their eyes.
“Come,” Leo says, “We will get you patched up and then we can figure out where you go from there.”
As the males follow him to Eridian, we stare down at Edward as he wrestles with himself to a sitting position.
He stares at Rhea as she stares back, a familiarsquawkcoming to us as Illium lands on the ground next to him, chirping.
“Are you okay?” Edward asks Rhea, and she firmly shakes her head. “I didn’t mean for you to ever come to the Nightshade Pack. It was dangerous. I don’t know how you knew I was there, but I didn’t know anything until a moment before Charles stepped up on the platform, that he knew I was a traitor. He told me he caught me handing out those posters and…”
“Did you plant the crystal?” Rhea says, cutting him off.
Edward’s head rears back. “What?”
“The memory crystal, did you send Illium to give it to me to then have it be used against me.”
I tense as I wait for his answer, and I see the moment it all clicks into place what she is talking about.
“No, Rhea, Gods no. Why would you think that!? I didn’t even know that was the same one I looked at.” He frowns, his eyes pleading. “The crystal I gave you was a memory saved of you and Kade in the river one day, when he learned how to swim.” When Rhea says nothing, he continues. “Did you not see it?”
She shakes her head. “The crystal is gone. I put it safely in my drawer with runes you only taught Josh and I. If you didn’t plant it there, if you didn’t give it to the others, how is it gone?”
“I don’t know.” His eyes plead with her to believe him. “I…Rhea, you are like a daughter to me…I would never…” He takes in a shaky breath, head hanging low and I hear Rhea’s rough swallow.
I know she wants to go to him, give him comfort, while he will give her some in return.
But she doesn’t need comfort from anyone but me.
I bring her to me, putting her in the instinctual position of her back to my chest as I rest my chin on her head. My arms wrap around her waist, protecting her back as I can protect her from any danger at the front.
“Aldus gave me the stone in Eridian,” I tell him, and his brows furrow before he curses.
“What!?” Rhea asks, bringing her hands up to clutch my forearm.
“He was the one who taught me the runes,” he said, face crumbling.
“So he could have gotten the stone,” Rhea says slowly, her shoulders relaxing a moment.
“I don’t know, he must have, but I didn’t plant anything Rhea, I wouldn’t…”
Rhea stares at him for a moment, and then squeezing my arms, she moves forward and I release her.
She believes him.
I, however, will be keeping a close eye on him.
What he said makes sense, and his past actions were only ever to help Rhea and others. That is the only reason he still has his heart.
Rhea drops down in front of him and reaches behind to cut the rope, Edward hauls her to him, closing his eyes in relief as he murmurs words I can’t hear to her.
