Page 7 of A Court of Schemes and Secrets

I lean my back against the edge of the tub and run my fingers over the faint scar on my thigh. A fae sea creature called a Mikira ran me through with one of its spikes. Fae healers saved me from its poison, and Shadowguard sigils healed most of the damage, but nothing could erase all evidence of the wound.

The same cannot be said for my wound on the Murky Mountain.

Death’s Kiss bit into my calf, but after exchanging life’s blood with Thalore, there is not even a mark to confirm it ever happened.

Only the repercussions of the event—our supposed mating—lingers. That, and the fact all Court watched it happen.

I linger in the water, my thoughts all over the place. I decide to get out when the water’s chill gives me goosebumps. Careful not to slip, I cross the smooth floor and grab the blue towel. I wrap it around my body.

A voice clears.

I gasp and whirl around. Thalore stands in the doorway. His hands are clenched into fists at his side, but lust covers his expression as his eyes trail over me. How long has he been standing there?

I clutch the towel to my chest. “Are you serious? Have you not heard of knocking?”

“I did. You didn’t answer.”

Did he?

“So you took that as an invitation to barge in here?”

He ignores my question. “Why are you in here?”

“I was taking a bath.”

“I can see that. What I meant was, why are you not in our room’s bathing chamber?”

“Because I told Julley I wanted my own room,” I say, covering for my friend.

“Why?”

“You know why.”

He sighs. “Andie... we should talk about this. We should talk aboutus.”

“We’ve talked about us enough. You know where I stand.”

He takes a step into the bathroom. “Andie, please. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but it’s what happened.”

“So I should just accept it?” My eyes narrow. “No, thank you.”

“We don’t need to be at odds, Andie. We’re mates, but I’d settle for being your friend again.”

“We are not mates. And friends don’t keep secrets and lie.”

He looks at the ceiling. “I made mistakes, Andie.” Emotion-filled green eyes lower and focus on me. “I regret many things, but not saving your life. Even if you viewed my actions as selfish and deceitful, I would do it again. I would never have let you die on that mountain. And I’m not sorry about it.”

A lump lodges in my throat. I badly want to argue. To demand he admit there was another way to save my life. To insist he didn’t have to link our lives to one another to do it. But the sincerity in his expression and the desperation in his words stops me.

I nearly let his sadness dull my anger. But I remember another reason I have to be angry with him.

“When were you going to tell me I was fired from the royal guard?”

If Thalore is surprised by the change in conversation, he doesn’t show it. “You’ve been dealing with a lot of change. There was never a good time.”

“Convenient for you.”

He takes another step. “What do you want from me, Andie? To grovel? To beg for your forgiveness? Say the word, and I will do it. I will do whatever you want to fix the problems between us. Just tell me.”

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