Page 46 of For the Love of the Quest

Thomasin lurched back, but Edith’s hands held fast to her shoulders, not letting her get too far away. “I’m sorry, that was too fast,” Thomasin said.

Edith let her forehead fall against Thomasin’s. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just not very good at this yet.”

Thomasin let her thumb run across Edith’s lower lip. “You have nothing to be sorry for. And trust me, you are very good at this.”

A small laugh fell from Edith’s lips, and her cheeks heated. Thomasin watched her throat bob as Edith swallowed before saying, “Can I look at my tattoo now?”

Thomasin had practically forgotten all about it, that was how much power Edith had over her. The innocent, exploratory touches and relatively chaste kissing had somehow thoroughly muddled her mind and started a fire in her body that didn’t show any signs of burning out.

God, she was gone for this girl.

“Alright,” Thomasin said, “let’s get this over with.”

Edith squealed with delight, eyes sparkling. She looked down at her inner arm, and her entire face fell slack.

Heart sinking deep into her stomach, Thomasin began, “I can fix it—”

Edith covered Thomasin’s mouth with her hand and looked up at her with glistening eyes. “I love it.”

In thin, black lines, Thomasin had etched Excalibur into her skin. The blade cut down the center of Edith’s arm, sharp and precise. The jeweled hilt was shaded just enough to give the impression that the jewels were shining. It was delicate and powerful all at once. Perfect for Edith, Thomasin had thought.

“You do?” Thomasin asked, her heart slowly making its way back to where it was supposed to be.

Edith struggled for words, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I can’t even believe it’s real. Thank you so much,” she said, her voice watery but also impossibly happy.

At the sight of Edith’s tears, Thomasin felt her own throat choke up. Just a little.I’m going so soft, she thought ruefully.

But she wanted to be soft for Edith. She wanted the whole damn world to be soft for her. And if it wasn’t, then Thomasin would make it so with her fists and knives. Because Edith believed the world was a beautiful, magical place, and she deserved it to be so.

Not wanting to pressure Edith into anything she wasn’t ready for, Thomasin retreated to her own room. They’d spent many nights together at the last inn, but that was before they had kissed. Before they had opened the door to anything more between them. She was so amazingly happy they had stepped through that threshold together. Thomasin didn’t think there was anything in this world that could sour her mood.

She should have remembered that Worthing existed.

He cornered her in the stairwell, blocking the hall to her room as she stepped onto the second-floor landing.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked.

Thomasin leaned back on one heel and looked down her nose at him. “Why, yes, actually, I am.”

“Do you know who else is having a good time?”

“Not you?” Thomasin guessed with a tight smile.

“The Metropolitan Police of London. They’re having a jolly old time right now, rounding up syndicate members and questioning them for your location.”

Thomasin flinched. “Why would they do that?”

Wrinkling his nose, he said, “Because they think you’re holed up somewhere, avoiding your charges. Tell me, when all this is finally fucking said and done, how do you plan on waltzing back into London without being immediately arrested?”

“I have contacts,” Thomasin said. It was true. There was a vast network of safe houses that she could hunker down in until things calmed. Some of them were pits, but there were a couple that might be suitable enough for Edith to join her in.

That is, if Edith even wanted to stay with her after the quest. Thomasin didn’t know when she’d started hoping that she would.

Worthing’s voice dragged her from thoughts of Edith. “What fucking contacts? If we keep up this treasure hunt charade any longer, there will be no syndicate for us to go back to!”

“They can survive well enough—”

“Do you hear how fucking selfish you are? We are being surrounded on all sides!” Worthing stepped into her space, fuming, and jammed a finger at her face. “Not only are the police tearing the syndicate apart because they know you’re on the back foot, but my scouts reported that Edith’s father is scouring the country for her, sparing no expense. There is no way this ends well for any of us, and yet you refuse to change course, all because you want to fuck some highborn bitch.”