Page 102 of Wrath of a King

I glanced down at Zoei’s pinched, curious face.

Without a word, I let a foot dangle down and she caught me with ease, bracing my weight with her torso.

I landed with a mutedoomph, finding my footing on the ground. Her arms held me steady, wound around my waist as though poised for a formal dance.

“What is it?” she questioned. “What did you see?”

I faltered, momentarily stunned by her closeness. In the fading light, the amber flecks in her gaze seemed to glow with an ethereal blaze. Her grip belied a sense of possession that was not entirely unwelcome.

“Well?” she prodded, the three stacked lines appearing between her brows.

In a wild flight of fantasy, I wondered what she would do if I were to lean forward and smooth those lines away with the persuasion of my lips.

Instead, I shook my head, clearing it of any wayward thoughts.

“There’s something afoot,” I said, stepping back from the circle of her arms. The loss was instant and cruel, and I crossed my arms in an effort to hide just how much comfort I had gathered from her embrace.

“Almanera has about thirty Alphas with him, and they’re heavily armed,” I recited. “From the state of their uniforms, it looks like they have been in battle. Their weapons are marked with blood.”

Zoei’s lips flattened.

“And…” I paused, gathering breath. “You were right to say that your people would come looking for us. They did.”

“Did?” she echoed.

I nodded. “It looks like Almanera’s Alphas have struck them down.”

“They’re dead?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “They’ve piled their bodies up like a trophy for all to see.”

The flecks in Zoei’s eyes came alive, and the air around her thrummed with heat.

“That fucker—”

“I think they’re expecting something,” I continued. “They’re keeping time and studying the sky as though they’re expecting something to fall out of it any second.”

“Not something,” Zoei mulled aloud. “Someone. If my guard has been hurt or if they’ve gone silent, there is no doubt that the army would have been activated.”

“An entire army against thirty of Almanera’s Alphas? That’s not a fair fight, is it?”

She shook her head. “He must have something up his sleeve, the ratbag.”

She stepped away as though she meant to pace the length of the path, but stopped short with a wince, favoring her left leg.

“Forgot about the wound for a moment,” she grunted, bracing a hand against the tree trunk.

“Is the poultice wearing off?” I asked, noting the rapidly spreading spot of blood.

“Probably,” she muttered. “But we don’t have time to stop.”

She turned back to me, a mask of determination falling across her features.

“I think the pile of bodiesisa trophy,” she said. “A warning to any of my people who dare come to our aid.”

“A fear tactic,” I surmised with a nod. “To show them what he’s capable of.”

Zoei dragged a hand through her hair, leaving indents in the dark mass.

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