Page 66 of Fates Fulfilled
Lex clutched the coat to her chest. “Good point.”
“Do not worry. The prince is a master strategist. In his short life, he’s helped the king maintain power through two wars and survived many trips through the Land of Ice. He will ensure we get you out safely.”
“What about you, Em? If the king knows you’ve helped me, which he must at this point, you’re in danger too.”
Em smiled. “You’ve met my mother and father. There’s a reason my parents are related to the king and haven’t lost their heads. They are ruthless, and the king is indebted to them.”
“Indebted how?”
Em frowned, her gaze turning inward. “That I do not know, but I know it to be so. I fear my parents may have helped the king in ways that haven’t always been in our people’s best interest.”
Lex thought about that a moment. “They might not have had much choice.”
Em nodded. “Perhaps. Even so, I’m at your service.”
Lex touched Em’s arm. “You’re my only friend, Em.”
She shook her head slowly. “Not true. You have a friend in the prince. More than a friend. He is much changed since he came home. I’ve never seen him devoted to any woman. And he isdevoted to you.”
Lex didn’t know aboutdevoted, but there was something between them that grew with each day.
“Come,” Em said. “Let us return so you can discover what the king is up to.”
“Exactly!” Lex said. “Why did you pull me away during a crucial conversation?”
They started down the cave’s narrow inner corridor. “More will be disclosed if they do not fear worrying you,” Em said. “And we can always pry it out of the others later.”
Lex stopped and stared at her friend. “You’re very devious.”
Em laughed. “Indeed. All those years spent in the prince’s court.”
Lex looped her arm through Em’s, and they continued through the cave maze until they made it to the larger cavern where the others were getting organized. Except for Garrin and Isle, who were glaring at each other.
“Oh, no. What are they doing now?” The antagonism between Garrin and Isle wouldn’t do. They needed to work together if they were to leave together.
Em frowned. “Don’t underestimate your influence on the prince. He will listen to you.” She released Lex’s arm and tipped her chin in Garrin’s direction. “Go to him.”
“I don’t know about influence, but I’ll do my best to keep those two from brawling.”
Lex took a deep breath and approached Garrin. Her mother sent Lex a tense smile and walked away. “I see you’re getting along well with my mom.”
Garrin’s brow furrowed. “Ah, I see. You are jesting.”
“Why are you and Isle fighting?”
Garrin absently brushed hair off her shoulder, the back of his warm knuckles skimming her neck and sending shivers down her body. “Your mother is a fine person, but her experience with my father has tainted her opinion of me. I do not blame her.”
“Won’t that be a problem? What if something goes wrong? How are we going to safely get out of here if none of us trust each other?”
“It matters most that you and I trust each other, yes?”
Warmth suffused her face at the intimate look in his eyes. “Yes.”
A long moment passed before Lex realized she and Garrin stood so close that she could feel the heat blasting off him. And that it had grown quiet inside the cave. The others, attempting to look busy, glanced every now and then in Garrin and Lex’s direction.
Garrin’s gaze slid down her body, his expression distracted.
Her stomach wobbled and she stepped back a few inches. She cleared her throat. “How long can we stay here before your father finds us?”
