Page 94 of This Shattered Star

I stood, fastening my own vest back into order, and Kodhan appeared in front of me. His fingers brushed the length of my neck as he gently tugged my hair out from my collar. Then, with a final sweep of his thumb across my jaw, he bent to pick up the dagger that still lay discarded on the floor and ever so slowly slid it back into the sheath at my hip. His hand lingered there, as if drawn in by some magnetic pull.

A shuddering breath escaped me as he turned on his heel to face Brannon—who hadn’t bothered knocking before entering—holding plates of food in each hand. Servings of seasoned roasted meat were accompanied by slices of hard cheese, stacked high beside a heaping of fresh fruit. All needing to be chewed thoroughly, eliminating any possibility of the meals beingpoisoned with more nightmare-inducing magical insects. Real sustenance, in preparation for Wit.

“Good. You’re decent,” Brannon said to neither of us in particular and set the plates down on the bed. “These appeared out in the corridor on our way here,” he explained. Tipped his chin to me in greeting. “Eloise. Happy to see you look rested.” Kodhan, however, was not given the same courtesy. Brannon eyed him distastefully in a calculated once-over. “You, on the other hand, look horrible.”

Theia followed closely, her own hands full with two more plates. The door clicked shut behind her on a soft wind. Her eyes went straight to Kodhan. She hummed contemplatively. “He’s looked worse.” No signs of anger marked her, nor any indication that she was still upset about their earlier conversation. Only a smidge of fatigue. Maybe they’d worked out all of their problems before Kodhan had set my room on fire.

Her eyes slid to me. Immediately, she grinned like a fiend. “I see you took my advice.”

“What advice?” Kodhan asked, glancing between the two of us.

“It’s nothing,” I said sharply, simultaneously to Theia’s “it’s none of your business.”

Brows scrunching, Kodhan opened his mouth to press further, but Brannon clapped him on the shoulder, cutting him off. “Our suspicions were true. Lachlan and Elias want revenge. They’ve already began plotting.”

Grateful for the change of subject, I asked, “Plotting what, exactly?”

“Nothing we can’t handle.” Theia studied her nails. “No wonder Darion was in charge. They can barely string two valuable thoughts together.”

Kodhan already seemed back to his usual self. All merciless hard lines, and no hints of the easy smiles he’d gifted me. It wasstrange, knowing what hid underneath the surface. “So we end them before they can act.”

“I figured you’d say that. We’re almost all in agreement then. Eloise?” My attention snapped to Brannon, who waited expectantly.

“Yes?”

He laughed. “Well, do you agree with the plan?”

“I don’t under…” The rest of the word stuck to the back of my throat. I tried again. “You want my opinion?”

“Of course I do. We’re a team.”We move as one, or not at all.

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to…” All I’d ever known were orders. Diana certainly never thought to ask if I agreed to kill whomever she told me to. And most definitely didn’t care about how I would do it, either. Toying with the handle of the dagger at my hip, I nodded. “I agree. We need to stop them.”

A spark glittered in his eye. “Then let’s go hunting.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

We downed our meals quickly, listening vigilantly for signs of Lachlan or Elias as we ate. But the corridors remained quiet. Either everyone was still recovering from Courage, or they were too scared to leave the semblance of safety their rooms provided.

I didn’t blame them.

“Four against two can’t be the worst of odds,” Brannon surmised, tossing his fork onto his empty plate, and plucked a stray berry from Theia’s.

She smacked his hand away, shoving all of the remaining fruit into her mouth before he could snatch any more. “That’s if they haven’t allied with anyone else,” she countered while she chewed, the fruit muffling her sentence.

Kodhan paced the short distance between the bed and the exit. “The possibilities are slim, especially after what they did during Courage. Chances are that others are out to get them just as much as Lachlan and Elias are out to get us.”

“Too bad they aren’t acting sooner. Would save us a lot of trouble,” I sighed.

“I don’t mind a bit of trouble.” He winked. My lips curled into a small smile despite myself.

Brannon snorted. “That’s golden, coming from you.” He seemed inclined to add something else, but a low, distant rumble made him stop short.

“You justhadto mention trouble,” Theia whined, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The rumbling built in intensity until it came from underneath our feet. Then the ground itself began to shake, sending us all scrambling for balance.

Dust rained down on us from the ceiling, forming little gray tufts that irritated my nostrils and throat with each inhale. So much of it fell that even Brannon’s wind couldn’t clear the air, forcing us to resort to covering our noses and mouths with the collars of our vests.