With a yawn, she dragged her tired body out of the warm sheets.
While small, she thought it might have been the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in.
Or perhaps anything was better than the rigid cots on Venko’s ship.
She winced when her back ached at the memory of the hard planks, and bile burned in her throat when the smell that seemed to permeate every inch of the cramped cabin, making her eyes tear every morning when she opened them, stung her nostrils.
Scrunching her nose, she pushed the memory away, and after rummaging around the room for a hairbrush—and finding none—Lessia ran her fingers through her tangled hair and straightened her leathers.
She’d slept in them, since Raine hadn’t offered her a nightshirt and there was no way she’d sleep undressed.
Not with Merrick’s penchant for slamming open her door anytime it pleased him.
Making her way into the kitchen, Lessia found all the men standing around the tall island in the middle of the room, steaming cups of coffee in their hands, although when she passed Raine to get her own, she suspected his cup was laced with something stronger, judging from the fumes wafting over her.
As she took a sip, she couldn’t stop a flinch from flitting over her face when the scalding liquid hit her tongue, and she slammed the mug down on the island harder than she’d intended, all heads snapping her way at the loud thud.
Trying to stop the heat threatening to flush her face, she offered them a weak smile. “So what’s the plan today?”
Her words came out clipped, but she tried to attribute it to morning grouchiness, not the simmering rage that seemed to want to take over every time she met Ardow’s remorseful eyes.
“I sent for Alarin last night.” Merrick’s eyes lingered on the hands she’d clenched atop the wooden countertop before he continued. “I’ve asked him to meet me, so we’ll need to wait for his response.”
Lessia swallowed.
She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face her father.
Even if Merrick suspected that he knew something was amiss when he met her, she wasn’t sure how he’d react if she undid the magic that made him forget her.
If he found out what she’d done…
Not just to Frelina—even if the incident wasn’t as severe as she’d believed—but to him…
To her mother.
For a moment, she wondered if it was best to leave it be.
But then her mother’s kind face, her father’s deep laugh, and Frelina’s teasing fought through the darkness in her mind.
She could have that again.
Have her mother braid her hair.
Join her sister on rides in the forests behind their home.
Train with her father like she did with Merrick.
She fought for the breath she’d tried to draw when dread tightened her chest.
She could have that again.
But first, they’d need to find a way for Havlands to withstand the threats it faced.
Make sure there would be a home for her to return to.
Lessia squared her shoulders when she met Merrick’s eyes again.
She’d have to be strong for them.
