“Aye?” she pulled back to look at her.
“Paxton looked . . . bad. What I mean is, he seemed . . . like one of them or something. He frightened me. And his eyes were a bit crazed.”
Aerity took her face in her hands. “I’m certain he did, but you needn’t be afraid of Paxton. I can promise you, his loyalties are to us.”
“Is Tiern . . . ?”
“Nay. He is not Lashed.” Vixie breathed a sigh of relief . . .and then questioned herself. Would she really have cared if he had been Lashed? Nay, she did not believe so. But if hehadbeen and he’d kept it from her, that would have upset her grievously.
Aerity went to the desk and grabbed her cloak that had been thrown over the chair. She slung it over her shoulders and rushed from the room. Wyneth gave Vixie’s shoulder a squeeze before following Aerity. Vixie stood there alone, recalling the look in Tiern’s eyes and how she had left them in fear. No wonder Tiern could not tell her. She’d reacted shamefully. Guilt clutched her. She wouldn’t blame him if he wanted nothing to do with her now.
Chapter
37
Aerity didn’t dare leave the safety of the castle. She waited inside the entrance hall with Wyneth by her side, her heart dancing with anticipation, which parried with worry. If Paxton was here, she knew they must be one step closer to something happening. From one of the tower entrances she saw Mrs. Rathbrook peek out, her guard behind her. Aerity waved her over.
“Please, join us.” The Lashed woman and her guard came to her side.
“What is happening?” Mrs. Rathbrook asked.
“I’m not certain, but you can remain with me. I want you kept safe.”
A rush of sound filtered down the hall as the doors openedand bodies poured in. The doors were tightly closed again and barred. Through the group of men she saw Paxton’s unruly brown waves and she couldn’t contain herself. She ran to him and grasped his hands tightly, locking her eyes onto his brown ones.
“You’re okay,” she whispered. He looked frightfully weary. “How much time do we have?”
“They’ll be here in the early morning hours,” he said. “Possibly before sunup.”
She looked at Harrison and motioned with her head back down the hall toward where the office was. They lived in that room these days. She caught Lief’s eyes over her shoulder. The man had seemed to go into warrior mode with the impending battle.
Vixie ran up alongside them with a worried expression and asked, “Where is Tiern?”
Paxton answered. “He went out with a few soldiers to warn as many villages as possible.”
Vixie’s entire being seemed to droop. “Paxton, I’m sorry for my reaction—”
“Nay, Princess, you needn’t be,” he said in a low voice. “You were taken by surprise.”
She nodded before slowing and becoming lost in the crowd. Aerity peered back and saw her in the back of the group walking with Mrs. Rathbrook.
“I should have told her,” Aerity said to Paxton. “She was so hurt.”
“What’s done is done,” he told her. “She’s a fighter. Tiern’s worried that she’s angry with him, so I urged him to go with the others to clear his mind.”
Oh, dear. They didn’t need this on top of everything else.
They hurried into the office. Vixie was the last one in, holding Mrs. Rathbrook’s hand. She closed the door and maneuvered to Aerity’s side, and then all eyes went to Paxton. Nobody bothered to sit. He didn’t wait for an invitation to speak.
“I’m going to start with the worst news first so that you can understand what we’re dealing with.” He took a deep breath and peered at Aerity. The sadness in his eyes nearly made her collapse because she knew. Sheknewwhat he was going to say. Every muscle in her body braced.
“The king and queen are dead,” he said softly to her and Vixie. “I’m very sorry.”
Even with every muscle tensed, Aerity still felt as if she’d been kicked in the chest.
She was queen of Lochlanach.
She swallowed and tried to wet her lips. At her side she heard Vixie’s deep inhale of breath. She grasped her sister’s hand, and Vixie pressed her face into Aerity’s shoulder. Aerity knew her sister was doing her best to be strong. She stroked Vixie’s hair. There were no words. She could not believe this was their reality. Her parents murdered. How had it come to this? They were dealing with the worst kind of people.
