Page 260 of A Sanctuary from Shadow
“They’ve already been dealt with,” Briar answered me, not Sedge. He gripped my hand tighter. “Before we departed the palace, every fighting feyr signed a muzzle order. Which means they’ve been magically contracted into never communicating about your gifts—to anyone—even themselves—though they’ll retain the information. Cornelian had the contracts drawn up for me, so youknowthere are no loopholes. He doesnotwant to risk your reputation.”
Good ole Uncle Neel, I thought, close to sneering.
“Is it safe to assume that Gentian’s rat also had to sign that order?” I chewed my lip. “That he can’t tell Gentian what I’m capable of?”
Briar seemed not to fully grasp my concern on the matter. Questioning my capabilities, I assumed, though I’d taken him down without much effort. Still, he answered, “If he was in my ranks, then yes. He signed it—before five witnesses—including your brother, Amy. We wouldn’t have allowed someone who refused to sign to come.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Pete, who gestured to confirm that this was, indeed, reassuring information. That I remained an ace in the hole. And some tension in my muscles eased.
Briar must’ve misread my body language. His hand moved to my elbow, drawing me closer. He gave me a devastating smile, the kind that once made my heart go pitter pat. His eyes brimmed with unmistakable joy. As transparently emotional as he was, I didn’t quite know how to reject him right then.
“I’msohappy I’ve finally found you, Amy,” he gushed. “I’ve been so worried about you. So worried you’d wind up hurt or dead. I can hardly believe you’re here with me now. That I can actually touch you.” He caressed my cheek, and I gritted my teeth on a curse. “I know I have a lot to make up for after today. And I will. I promise. I’ll do anything you ask me to if it’ll earn your forgiveness. I’ll spend therestof our life together earning it if you want.”
When Briar moved in to kiss me, I decided I’d rather break his heart than Pete’s. Whether I was capable of breaking Pete’s heart at that moment, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t chancing it. And I pulled back.
I didn’t have to pull too hard. Briar’s grip slackened. He let me slide right out of his fingers. His eyes narrowed. “Amy—why do you smell different?”
I knew exactly why. Many of Eden’s residents had been teasing me about it. Just—I hadn’t expected Briar to notice that specific change before I’d officially broken our engagement.
Don’t you dare feel awkward right now, I scolded myself.You never agreed to marry Briar. Hell, you hadn’t even changed your social media relationship status before things got weird. You have every right to smell like whatever feyr—or man—you want to smell like.
“Amy.” The edge to Briar’s voice made at least one harbinger behind me shift. To fist his sword hilt, I guessed. A wordless warning that Briar didn’t even register, as fixated on me as he was.
Finally, I huffled. “It doesn’t matter how I smell Briar. That has no bearing on my feelings about our relationship. I decided long before I started smelling this way that I—”
At Briar’s crinkling brow, I knew he had no idea where my train of thought was chugging. Hearing myself, I understood his confusion. But I’d never broken up with someone before. And I’d never thought my first time doing so would be in front of a holy man and two harbingers—one of whom I was already banging.
Coughing, I started again. “I decided, maybe before we’d even crossed the portal, Briar, that we weren’t going to work out. That I don’t want to be with you. And I’m very sorry, but I can’t—I can’t marry you.”
Briar stared at me, his mouth a hard line. His jaw didn’t drop, and he didn’t look angry. He looked—resolved. Bitterly, sternly resolved.
Not the reaction I’d been expecting.
“We’ll talk about this later, Amy,” Briar replied, glancing briefly over my shoulder.When we don’t have an audience,his look finished his thoughts.
I shook my head. “What else is there to talk about?”
His auburn brows rose. “Plenty.”
“But you heard what I said, right? I don’t—”
“Yes, Amy, I heard you.” His interruption was so dang calm. He looked at me now the same way Aunt Aylie had the day I’d announced I was going to be a unicorn when I grew up. “And I’d like to talk to you about it. So, why don’t we go to my tent, where we can do that in private?”
“Wha—huh?Hey!” I sputtered when Briar set a hand at my back and “ushered” me toward the royal guard camp. Where he intended to go on pretending I hadn’t just ended our engagement.
He “guided” me ahead all of three steps when a shadow slashed the air and wrapped Briar’s wrist like a Slap Bracelet, yanking my wannabe ceyla back by his arm—putting Briar in danger of breaking his damn wrist if he struggled too hard.
In Pete’s quiet volatility, I knew he hoped Briar would struggle like a fiend.
I’d never seen Briar angry before. Not like this. His lime eyes seethed at Pete as he spun about, his Danann fangs flashing in the moonlight. Gone was the jovial party boy I thought I’d known. In his place was the most inhuman fae I’d ever seen.
Briar’s breath came in an animal snarl as Pete curled a lip at him and warned, “You touch her again without her say so, I’ll rip your fecking bollocks off.”
Mother save him and his darkening eyes, Pete meant it. And I knew Sedge would be only too happy to hold Briar down, so Pete could carry out his threat.
“Now, now,” Myrrdin mediated. “There’s no call for violence, lads. Let’s all let Amy be. There are heavier things to weigh just now.”
Myrrdin might as well have been speaking to a wall. Because Pete didn’t retract his tether. And Briar, nostrils flaring, angled his head toward the door and roared, “Guards!”
