Page 207 of A Warrior's Fate

She lifted her hand to rub at her tired eyes and turned her head. A hauntingly beautiful image stood in her wake as the glow of the flames danced over Kai’s face.

He stared down at her, a soft grin across his mouth, but he said nothing.

Isla lazily smiled back at him and adjusted in her seat. The book she’d been reading fell out of her lap and onto the floor.

Kai bent down and picked it up, his brows drawing together as he read. “You were reading about the witches?”

A hum passed Isla’s lips as some form of answer as she sat upright and rubbed her face again. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, “What time is it?”

Kai closed the book, bringing it to his side. “Nearly midnight.” He reached out a hand to her.

She took it and steadied herself after he’d helped her to her feet. Her hand went to his chest, and she felt his heart drumming beneath her fingers. “Have you been in meetings all day?”

He nodded and lowered his head to kiss her softly. “Have you eaten?”

“Not dinner.”

“Me neither.”

He took her hand in his and led them back through the stacks to where only Jonah sat under the illumination of a small lamp. Everyone else must’ve headed home while she’d dozed off.

“You’ve nearly been in here twenty-four hours,” Kai said to his brother. “Did you eat at all or—take a break?”

Jonah gave some sort of gesture, vaguely a nod. “I’m good.”

Kai sighed exasperatedly. “Try not to stay in here all night and try to eat something. Do you remember where the guest wing of the House is?”

Another nod, and another sharp breath in reply.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Isla called before she and Kai ducked away.

As they moved along the wall to those large double doors, Kai muttered, “It’s hard to get to him once he focuses on something.”

Isla could see that much and resisted the urge to call Kai on the same behavior. She may have also exhibited it…

“If he’s gone all day without being at the shop, you know he’s serious,” he added.

“It’s a lot,” Isla whispered back. “Did he tell you what he figured out?”

“The gist of it.” Kai pushed on the wood, making opening the heavy doors look effortless. He didn’t drop her hand when they were out in the hallway, and though they were in view of whoever they’d come to pass, Isla didn’t retract. Only tightened her grip on him.

It was enough to raise the corner of his mouth before it fell sharply. “It’s not surprising—being misled and lied to by the people I trust most.”

Isla looked at him, brows raised, catching the insinuation. “Ezekiel.”

“I didn’t ask him outright—not yet,” Kai said, trying to keep the hurt and anger she felt coiling through the bond off his face. “But he knows about the tunnels. I don’t know why he’s keeping it from me, but we’ll see how the pieces fall. If he knows about that house and tries to cover it up…”

The house, the wasteland, the Wall…

Isla chewed on her lip, recalling her thoughts from something he’d mentioned during the broadcast.

She offered carefully, “You know—with the movement of the guard to account for the rogues, you’re taking eyes away from the Wall.”

Kai’s features hardened and he kept his gaze forward. “I know.”

“Do you think…”

They reached the staircase to take them down to the ground level, and Kai didn’t seem to care that his voice echoed in the cavern as they descended. His tone was as cold and wrathful as death itself. “I think if the rogue attacks were in fact an inside job, whoever’s responsible better hope to the Goddess that I don’t survive the challenge.”

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