Chapter Eleven
Welcome to the City of Shiny Things
“You snuck from your room last night,” Finnian said with a touch of amusement in his blue eyes. “August was awfully sour about it.”
“I know not what you speak,” I responded, playing innocent, before spinning around to hop into the carriage. I should’ve known better. The tip of my shoe hit beneath the step instead of landing on top of it, and I lost my balance, stumbling forward.
Before my face could slam against the side of the carriage though, an arm shot out and grabbed me.
“Thank you.” I turned to look at my savior and came face-to-face with Ban. His gray eyes held no emotion—that I could detect anyway. Not that I was the best at reading people to begin with.
He grunted and released me.
Rowan had hid our presence from him last night, saying I couldn’t trust him. But my gut told me differently. Ban had given me half of his sandwich when realizing I didn’t have anything to eat, and now he’d spared me from the humiliation of having a pink mark on my face and probably several scrapes and bruises caused by my own clumsiness.
He gave me “burnt marshmallow” energy. Crispy and coarse on the outside but sweet and gooey on the inside.
August marched toward me, leading his horse by the reins. The deep scars on his face made his scowl even more effective. “You do know it’s our duty to protect you, correct? Look at you. You can’t even take one step without falling on your face. What possessed you to go gallivanting through an unfamiliar town atnightand alone? By the gods, boy, if I wasn’t looking right at it, I’d say you’ve lost your head.”
“Here.” I withdrew the bag of almonds from last night—the little that hadn’t been eaten by Lake once I’d let him try them earlier that morning—and opened the top. “Have one. It can be our truce nut.”
“A truce nut?” August sneered at the bag before shoving his hand inside and popping a handful into his mouth. As he crunched them between his teeth, his brows lifted. “It’s not horrible, I guess.”
Ban leaned forward to peek at the bag.
“You have some too.” I offered it to him. “An apology for last night. I, uh, kind of hid from you when you came looking for me.”
I could’ve sworn he’d been moments from smiling before stubbornly holding onto his stoicism.
Oh, Ban. I will get a reaction out of you before this trip is over. Mark my words.
The giant burnt marshmallow of a guard accepted one of the almonds and ate it, offering me a sharp nod and a grunt before retrieving his horse.
“Do I get one?” Callum asked as he walked up with Duke. The two of them had woken early to get in some training before breakfast.
“Just one.” I dropped one into his upturned hand. I gave Duke one too. “And one for you.”
“Wow, Ev.” Callum looked down at it. “I thought I was your precious, ooey-gooey cinnamon roll, and this is how you treat me?”
“Truce nuts are for foes, not friends.” I nodded to August. He had swung up into the saddle of his horse and narrowed his eyes at me. “Which is why he got a billion. I need all the help I can get.”
Callum and Duke ate their almonds—one each—before exchanging a look and walking toward me at the same time.
“Uh, what are you guys doing?” I asked, bumping into the carriage as I stepped backward. “If this is a shakedown, you should know I have a big mouth, and I’m not afraid to use it. I’ll scream so loud Maddox will hear me all the way from Bremloc and—”
They lunged forward and snatched the bag from my hand.
“Hey!” I tried to get it back, which was a futile attempt. They grinned as they tossed it back and forth, passing it over my head. “This isn’t the time to play ‘keep away from Evan,’ okay? Oh, fine. Keep them. Consider it your Christmas present.”
“Christmas?” Callum caught the bag as Duke passed it to him. “What’s that?”
“Whatever it is, it sounds like we get presents,” Duke said with a wide smile. “Though, being around you is gift enough, Thorn Prince.”
“Ev is a gift to us all.” Callum tipped my chin up, a smile warming his brown eyes. “Now, into the carriage you go.” He helped me inside before closing the door and patting it once.
As the carriage jolted and we took off, I lifted a hand to my chin, still feeling a tingle where he’d touched me.
“Yet another admirer?” came a voice from the seat across from me. Golden eyes appeared before Rowan eased from the shadows. “How many is that now? Twenty?”
