Page 100 of Royal Rebel

She lowered her voice. “Grayson, that olcain kept you moving past the pain, but you pushed your body too far. You almost died.” The last word cracked.

He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “I’m all right,” he assured her.

Moisture gathered in her eyes. “I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you.”

He hated seeing her fear; hated that he hadn’t been able to do anything to help her. What if hehaddied? She would have been alone in a hostile kingdom. He hated everything about that. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Just promise me you’ll never take something like that again. That you’ll never push yourself so far.”

“I won’t.” He meant it, too, even though there was a small part of him that craved the blissful numbness the olcain had given him. It had smothered his pain so he could function—helped keep him strong. Without it, he wouldn’t have gotten Mia out of the castle.

He wondered how much of the medicine was left—if it was still in his pack. He didn’t dare ask, though. Not with the way she was looking at him.

“Tobin gave you another drug to help you sleep, so you were unconscious for the worst of the withdrawal.” Mia bit her lower lip. “He said you might have a terrible headache when you woke, and that you’d feel very tired.”

He nodded once, the pain in his skull spiking. “How long has it been since we left the castle?” he asked.

“Six days.”

Nearly a week. Making it to Porynth before Zadir left was going to be nearly impossible, now.

He swayed a little, and Mia wordlessly guided him to the bed. They sat on the edge, their hands still locked. Grayson didn’t know if he was currently capable of letting go.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Mia said, her voice quiet. “I know you wanted to avoid being seen, but I had to get help. I gave them false names; I told them I was Rena, and that your name was Alun.” She winced a little. “They were the first names I could think of.”

Using Rena and Fletcher’s names when they didn’t know their fates was a bit unnerving, but Grayson couldn’t fault Mia for choosing them. Or for doing all she had while he was unconscious. She’d kept him alive.

“I’m sorry I took the risk of coming here,” Mia said, clearly reading his residual fear. “But I didn’t have a choice.”

He brushed a loose curl and tucked it behind her ear. “You did everything right,” he reassured her. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Relief flickered in her brown eyes. Then she spoke in a rush. “We’re in Edgewood. It’s a small village, and I’ve mostly stayed in the room with you. I haven’t seen any soldiers. I’ve paid Jon well to give us privacy—he’s the innkeeper. He has three sons, and they’ve all seen you. So has Tobin. None of them recognized you.”

That was an unexpected blessing from the fates. He had come through Edgewood before, though it had been years ago and he’d looked quite different. Especially now, with his ruined face.

Grayson exhaled slowly. “We can leave tonight, when everyone is asleep.”

She shook her head. “You’re not ready. Tobin said once you woke, you’d probably need another few days in bed.”

“We’ve delayed too long as it is. We’re still too close to Lenzen, and if we don’t reach Porynth in time, we’ll lose our fastest way to Duvan.” Not only the fastest, but the most secure. They’d be safe on Zadir’s boat; much safer than traveling by road.

Mia’s eyes narrowed. “I’d rather take a year to reach Duvan than lose you. Despite what you seem to think, you’re not invincible, Grayson. You need time to heal—not just from what your father did, but from what that horrible olcain did to your body. You at least need to have Tobin check on you.” Her voice lowered. “Please don’t make me go through any of this again. I . . . I truly thought you were going to die.” The pain in her voice knifed him.

Grayson cupped the nape of her neck, bringing her forehead to rest against his. He closed his eyes, his long fingers sinking into her hair. “All right,” he acquiesced softly. “But we can’t stay too long. We can’t afford to lose any more time.”

He feared they’d already lost too much.

Chapter 24

Imara

“Idon’tthinkIshould leave you,” Hanna said, her features drawn with concern.

Imara waved an impatient hand at her maid. “I’m perfectly fine, and Clare needs your help down at the beach. Go. Please.”

Reluctance made Hanna’s movements slow, but at last she left.

Imara settled back against her pillows, silently cursing her bed. She was itching to move, and not just because she wanted to attend the party on the beach for the children in the palace. No, she was restless with a lethal mix of boredom and fear. Boredom, because her days seemed endless, even though Desfan and Clare both visited every day. Fear, because Jekem hadn’t yet been found.

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