Not even close.
“Why was the Wildling ruler in our library?” Enya asks, days later.
“Because I gave her access,” I grumble. I truly was going to refuse her. I was going to follow Enya’s advice and go against my morals. Be a true ass.
But in the end, I couldn’t.
“You did what?”
I say nothing.
“The Wildling is almost certainly working against you,” Zed reminds me.
“I know.”
“She was likely looking for something that will hurt you.”
“I know.”
“You’re being an idiot.”
I shift in my seat. “I know. She needs to trust me.” I look around at them. “We all did not have the best first meetings, now did we?”
They go silent. Then Enya opens her mouth, and I shoot her a look. “We met when we were babies,” I say. “That doesn’t count.Though I do remember you locking me into multiple closets as soon as you learned to walk.” At this, she rolls her eyes.
“So, you’re saying she could be ... a friend?” Calder says.
I run my hand down my face. “I’m exhausted. I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Finally, we agree on something,” Zed says, and I give him a look.
I don’t know if Isla is a friend or enemy. Right now, we’re not even partners anymore. She meant it when she said she didn’t want to work together. And I can’t blame her.
I can only hope that offering her an olive branch will be enough.
THE BALL
I think I’ve lost the ability to breathe.
Isla Crown is walking down the stairs in a dress made entirely of leaves, and I can’t do anything but watch her. Some things are just meant to be admired, and she is above all of them.
I feel hotter than usual, feverish. Aware of her every movement, as if she’s the sun itself, and I’m just an orbiting planet.
I’m watching her because I’m suspicious, I tell myself. I’m waiting for her to show me her true colors.
Unsurprisingly, I taste bitterness.
She’s the key to finding the heart. That’s why I care. That’s why I want to trace her movements, and the shape of her dress. More bitterness. I hate lying, yet suddenly I’m lying to myself all the time. Her fault. She is maddening and bewitching.
She has turned me into a damnedliar.
“Thirsty?” Zed asks as he approaches, his eyes on the goblet of wine I’ve just drained. His eyes go from mine to Isla, and he forms a mischievous smile.
“Don’t you have a perimeter to guard?” I snap. Instead of being annoyed at my tone, he looks delighted.
“Apologies for blocking your view,” he teases, before stepping away.
My hand curls tighter around the empty goblet. A sliver of pain shoots down my arm, a reminder of how far the blue mark has spread.
