Page 151 of Fate's Sweetest Curse
Or…perhaps not?
Noble’s head hurt and his eyes ached from the brightness in the tent—the white canvas was washed-out and glaring with sunlight—but that didn’t stop him from noting the slight wobble in General Asheren’s bottom lip, the moisture in his eyes. It was about as much affection as Noble could expect from his father, yet seeing the relief there—the genuine tenderness—touched him deeply.
Kalden cleared his throat. “Your association with Hattie remains a hazard. It’s an imperfect solution.”
Leave it to Kalden to ruin a romantic moment.
Hattie rose from her position in front of Noble, allowing him to come to his feet. Vague memories of his legs breaking backward made him wince, but as he stood, his calves and thighs felt normal. Strong.
“Does a perfect solution exist?” Noble asked.
“Aside from death?” Hattie added, coming to stand at Noble’s side.
Her tone was sarcastic, but there was an edge of truth in the suggestion, and Noble frowned. “Death is not an option,” he all but growled.
“I didn’t suggest it was,” Kalden stated.
Perhaps not, but Noble wouldn’t put it past his father to silently consider it. After all, it had been one ofKalden’ssoldiers who attempted to take Hattie’s life the first time. Kalden might not have suggested such a ruthless thing, but he had a way of cultivating extreme loyalty in his subordinates.
Brendan was a perfect example. Noble had escaped Kalden’s shadow, while Brendan had made it his home.
Fates, at what point had Noble becomegladhe never lived up to his father’s wishes? It was a new feeling for him, but he liked it. It was freeing.
“Nobody wants me to exercise my claim,” Hattie said, bringing Noble back to the present issue. “Even if there are rumors, no one would want to sabotage Raina and Archer’s union—not when the majority of Maronans and Lothgamian’s are in favor of the match.”
“There are always contrarians,” Kalden countered, but the argument was half-hearted.
Noble took advantage of the moment of weakness. “Let us marry. Let her take my name. Let us disappear in Fenrir. She’ll be all but invisible there, and—”
“She still knows too much. We can’t risk you two returning to Fenrir and exposing last night’s findings to your Adept.”
Last night. So, he hadn’t been unconscious for long.
Noble looked down at Hattie again. “What happened last night?”
Her eyebrows pinched together. “Do you not remember?”
Noble closed his eyes for a moment, trying to see through the lingering fog in his mind.
He remembered Brendan finding him by that tree.
He remembered being fitted with chains and dragged into a war camp.
He remembered Hattie, injured, and his instant rage.
The rest was a series of vague flashes of gore and screaming, and the dazzling blue light of a sword on fire.
Then, peace. Sunlight on his face, in his veins.
Belated realization hit him square in the chest, and he turned to Hattie, overcome with pride. “You discovered the cure.”
She frowned, nodded.
“How did—” he broke off. She could tell him all about her brilliance later. Right now, their future took precedent. Noble faced his father again. “You’re afraid the Lord will use Hattie’s discovery to further his plan—but Phina won’t take part in that.”
“Hattie expressed a similar sentiment,” Kalden said tightly.
“If you keep us out of Fenrir, the research will continue,” Noble said. “Let us return to the Collegium. Let us persuade Phina to shut down her program.”
