“Édouard's right,” I said as we began a final weapons check. “Renaud is waking because of me.”
Juliette glanced at me, her body vibrating with tension. “You don'tknowthat,and speculation is as pointless as your useless guilt.”
She turned her back on Édouard. Numair angled himself to keep an eye on her and the blade still in her hand.
“Itdoesn't matter. We can't abort,” I said, answering the unspoken question despite gnawing worry.
Numair glanced at me, eyes softening. Pretty evenfor a Fae male, brown hair brushed below his ears, just touching his broad shoulders. “You should sit this one out, Rinne—no, don’t give me that look.”
The unintended insult reminded me why I wouldn’t take him for my lover though he waited for me—at least not until this warwasdone and my mother avenged. His protectiveness would distract me from my purpose.
Édouard spoke, terse with strangled hostility. “She should be holed up in a safehouse before her presence draws the Prince and gets her and us killed.”
As a child, I'dadmired his strength and fierceness in battle until I'doverheard him saying someone shouldhavedrowned the mongrel at birth. Since then I had maybe gone out of my way to annoy him at every opportunity.
“Ah, I didn'tknowyou cared,” I drawled.
“Abouta reckless brat? What I care about is the well-being of the House.”
Juliette turned on Édouard. Numair edged closer to her, prepared to leap. She couldn't take the commander. She'dearn herself several broken bones and a week out of commission. Numair handled Édouard by ignoring him, the best tactic for someone likethat.
Feed a troll,itwould onlygetfat.Thensit on you and crush your bones.
“The point,” Numair said, “is that you're Heir. You shouldn't be in the streets like a common warrior.”
I finished checking my weapons to avoid strangling either of the males. “Myfather,not I, is head of the House while Danon is imprisoned. He's safe behind our walls.”
He opened his traitorous mouth. How could he side with Édouard? I glared at him. “Enough.”
“Perhapsit'sbetter not to argue before a strike,” Murungaru murmured.
I walked over and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his deep brown cheek. “I'm glad someone understands.” I aimed a dark glare at Numair under my lashes.
“Aerinne—”
“I saidenough,chevalier.”
He subsided.
Juliette gave him a smug smirk before glancing back at me. “This does change things though.There's no shame in aborting until we learn if the Prince might be in play.”
The commander was already shaking his head. “This feud hovers on a blade's edge. We won’t get another opportunity like this soon. The intel is hot—Montague has been rotating their warehouses on a staggered schedule.”
I set aside my aggravation at having to agree with him. AsLady of my House, the bulk of our financial management fell to me though wehadan accountant.
“The weapons stash is significant, we literally can’t afford to give it up,” I added. “Something as simple as the difference between gearcouldgive us an advantage, or at least maintain Montague’s lack of one.”
“I wouldn’t call better armor, better blades, and more arrows to kill us with a lack of advantage,” Juliette muttered.“What we need are a few warriors with offensive Skills.Thatwould even the field.”
Édouard's scowl matched eyes black with the opposite of hope. “Until the Prince steps onit.”
“We get it,” I said, slamming my fist into the table. “I fucked up. Move on. In the end, it’s my head on the block, no one else’s.”
“That will never happen,” Numair said with the stillness of a bottomless lake. Sometimes every thought played across his face, and other times, like now, I couldn’t fathom the depths of him. Only that he loved me, and would die or kill for me. “The commander knows none of this is your fault.”
“I’m not angry with you, Aerinne,” Édouard said. “In fact, I should thank you.” His expression darkened. “If there's ever even the slightest chance to meet the Prince on the field, I will take it, abandoning strategy, reason, even the pleas of my mate. I will avenge our Lord.”
A tense silence in the room, and then Tereille purred, “The melodrama, my love. Delicious.”
