Page 9 of MidKnight
I raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Does your pacing mean you know who he is?”
Declan bit his lip. “No. It means I’m worried about Avia. Desperation isn’t good.”
My heart dropped. I was scared for her, too. “We need to find her quickly.”
Ryan nodded. “I’m going to follow my man to the south and see what I can pick up, right after the state dinner tonight with Isla. I’ll fly through the night but be back early morning or so, that way I can be here for the rest of the state visit.”
Quinn spoke to all of us.After I question Abbas, I’m going to meet with some of my agents near Cheryn. And I’ll send out scouts to nearby mountains to look for signs of dragons.
“I’m going to the library. Maybe I’ll find some kind of for clue as to who the hell this shitehole is,” Declan said.
Connor shrugged. “Tell me if any of you need anything. But, Bloss and I will be occupied with this visit. Rasle always wants to discuss borders. They’ve been itching to take back some hills they lost a century ago. I’m guessing Isla thinks this is her chance.”
Everyone nodded, me included. It felt better, having a plan.
Ryan scooped me up and held me eye to eye, my feet dangling two feet off the ground. “You alright?” he asked.
“Of course. He was trying to scare me,” I shrugged. I didn’t bother mentioning that Abbas had succeeded. I’d felt vulnerable. And he’d nearly ripped my throat out. I couldn’t think about things like that. I had to block it out and focus, like mother taught me.
“My idiot guards won’t leave you alone again,” Ryan growled as he set me down.
My heart swelled at the protective tone in his voice. I loved it when he turned into a caveman about me. I stroked his shoulder. “I won’t turn my back like an idiot again, either. It will make their jobs easier.”
Ryan growled and shoved something small into my hand. “You’ll wear this at your wrist from now on, too.”
There was a little leather strap, made to fit my wrist. It held a sheath for a hair pin. When I pulled the pin out, it gleamed like a miniature sword.
Ryan set me down and pointed at his ribs. “Stab me, right here. Shove up under the ribs.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
He grabbed my wrist. “No. I mean, do it. You practice on me.”
My jaw dropped. “I can’t hurt you.”
“I can heal myself.”
“Yeah, then you’ll tear the room apart.”
“Better the room than you getting attacked and torn apart again.”
Connor stepped forward, “He’s right, Bloss. We don’t want to see you get hurt again.” I noticed his hands were stained. Like he’d only washed them haphazardly. It was a moment before I realized his hands were stained with blood.
“Is that … mine?” I asked.
He shoved his hands behind his back, as if he couldn’t bear to look at them. “Yes, and I’d rather not have to see that again. So, stab the sarding shite out of Ryan. Okay?”
I looked questioningly back at Ryan.
He nodded. “I’m part giant. You won’t be able to hit my heart. But you shove until I tell you to stop. I’m gonna make sure you can hit the heart of any other sarding dizzard who touches you.”
I took a deep breath. I held eye contact with Ryan. And then I launched forward, shoving that hair pin as hard as I could.
It hit his ribs and glanced off.
“Again. Lower. Thrust upward.”
That’s what the maiden said,Quinn couldn’t keep his smartass comments to himself.
