In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

28. Rose

28

Rose

J ust when I was beginning to think I liked Rissa, she went and pulled something like this.

One horse.

I supposed this was what I deserved for taking him on a little detour without permission.

My back was straight as a rod as we trotted north to the palace, my legs clenched tightly around Nightshade to keep me from moving back into Leo’s chest. I was still sore from yesterday, and my muscles screamed at me to release my ironclad hold, but something about this man put me on edge. He had a sort of broody arrogance—different from Nox’s confidence or Callum’s cockiness. Even only being with him a few times, I could see he believed he was always right. He thought he should be the one to carry out this mission, not me. He brushed off my memory of my father’s death, simply because he didn’t think I was right. He instantly assumed I had the wrong hall when pointing it out on the map.

His lack of faith in me itched at my skin. It made me want to prove him wrong.

A strong hand came to rest on my thigh, the stubble at his chin brushing the top of my ear as he leaned forward and said, “You need to relax. You’re spooking Nightshade. ”

His breath so close to me sent goosebumps along my neck and down my arm. I swallowed, willing my legs to relax around the stallion. The tight coils unwound slowly, and my back pressed into Leo’s solid chest as Nightshade stepped into a dip in the road.

That same hand moved from my leg to my stomach, keeping me from being jostled. The warmth of his skin seeped through the thin fabric of my shirt. How had it felt so cold on my ribs yesterday? Now, it was like a searing ember, indicative of our mutual animosity. I saw the way he looked at me when his sister told him to take me to the palace. He didn’t want to be in this position any more than I did.

“So,” he said gruffly, “you know why I was hiding when we ran into each other at the palace yesterday morning. But I still don’t know what you were running from.”

“Is that a question?”

His fingers curled slightly at my stomach, the friction grating across my skin. I could practically see his teeth grinding. My lips curved into a faint smile—as much as he frustrated me, I rather enjoyed frustrating him , too.

“Yes, it’s a question.”

I rolled my lips together. “The Illusionist challenger decided to have a little fun once the trial started. He found me outside my room and…made me see something I wish I could forget.” That’s all I would give him. That’s all I could give him. Even the memory of Horace’s body blurring into my father’s on that bloody floor made my throat tighten.

“The Illusionist? Isn’t that who Rissa said you were fighting when she helped you during the trial?”

“The one and the same.”

A rumble went through his chest, sending a buzz along my back. “I hope he got what he deserved.”

Shrugging, I said, “He got a taste. I’m not done with him yet.”

“Good.”

Surprised by his agreement, I turned my head to the side to see him better. “What, no snide remark? No comment about him getting the best of me?”

He sighed, a scowl back on his features. “Contrary to what you seem to believe, I don’t think you’re incapable.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Are you this stubborn with everyone?”

“Yes, actually.” I gave him a saccharine smile before facing forward again. “It’s why everyone back home finds me so charming.” When I moved, his hand left my stomach and wrapped around the reins, leaving my skin cold.

“That’s not the word I would use.”

A snort left me. “Yes, well, neither would they. Maybe peculiar. Improper. Poisonous. Take your pick, honestly.”

“Your people say these things about you?”

“When you’ve grown up as a social outcast with a tendency to go a little too far with your magic, people don’t have the nicest opinion of you,” I said, toying with a small string hanging from the pommel of the saddle. What had begun as self-deprecating humor now felt more real. More raw. I wasn’t sure why I was sharing this with him. It was different, not being able to see his face or that scowl that said he was waiting for me to fail.

He hummed, and the motion fluttered across my back again. Nightshade stepped over a log in the path, forcing me further into the saddle. Leo’s thighs were now flush with the backs of mine as his hand came to my stomach once more to hold me in place. The gesture was like second nature to him. I was beginning to see how deeply his protective instincts ran, what with the Sentinel patrols and how he’d saved me that night in the forest. How he’d pulled me aside to give me solitude during my panic attack. Even in the care he showed in healing my injuries.

It soothed my annoyance, blanketing it with a softness I didn’t expect.

“If they saw how you took down a fully shifted snow leopard, they wouldn’t call your magic ‘too far,’” he said.

“Careful now, Aris, or I might think you’re complimenting me. ”

“Well, I was the one who killed him in the end.”

“There it is,” I said, my lips twitching upward.

We were almost to the palace. I could see the tops of the spires peeking out over the trees as the forest thinned. After a minute of silence, Leo said, “I’m sorry about yesterday.” The words were so low and quiet, I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. “I shouldn’t have said you didn’t know what you were talking about when you spoke of your father’s death. It was an impulsive thing to say.”

I twisted my lips. “And do you believe me now?”

He didn’t respond immediately. Nightshade slowed, even though we hadn’t reached the palace grounds yet, and came to a stop near a large tree shadowed by the thick canopy. Removing his arm from around my midsection, Leo dismounted smoothly.

When he offered his hand to me, I ignored it and grabbed the pommel of the saddle, swinging my leg over and jumping to the ground.

“I believe you believe something more happened. But no, I don’t believe my father had anything to do with it.”

My jaw shifted, the banter we’d fallen into now slipping back to frustration. “So the fact that your father’s name came out of the murderer’s mouth means nothing to you? That I’ve been hearing those words echoing in my head since the moment I met you and your sister?”

He threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Perhaps they were lying. Or you misheard them. You said it was twenty years ago, yes? You were young. I can’t imagine what that was like, watching what happened to your father. But memories can be deceiving. I know my father. I know the kind of man he was. He cared for his people and was a firm, just ruler. What reason could he possibly have for ordering yours to be killed?” He shook his head, his tense shoulders deflating. “There’s something you’re not seeing, Rose. Something else behind this.”

“It’s a shame we’ll never get to ask either of them, isn’t it?” I said roughly, my chest constricting and burning all at once.

His words made sense. I’d been a bundle of anger and repressed grief and nerves for the past day, and my mind needed something to latch onto. Something to blame and take all this funneled energy. Branock Aris was an easy target, and part of me didn’t want to think rationally. I wanted to rage and scream and cry and do everything I’d been forced to lock away in the face of the first trial and what followed.

I needed to grieve. But I didn’t think I could handle that. Not on top of everything else.

Leo took a step toward me, and I moved back on instinct. “I don’t want this to affect our alliance in this mission or your loyalty to the Sentinels,” he said. “My sister and I are not our father. If you can’t separate your beliefs from that truth, I don’t know how to get you to trust us fully.”

I closed my eyes and rubbed at my temples, trying to fight back my pride and some unhelpful sharp reply. That was how I handled emotions I didn’t want to deal with: a snarky comment intended to take the weight off my shoulders.

But he was right. Whatever happened in the past, I needed to separate it from my purpose. From what stood right in front of me.

More than that, I needed to be alone. To have a moment of rest without the fate of this tournament and the mission occupying my mind. Too much had happened in the last twenty-four hours for me to make sense of it all.

“I have to go,” I said finally, weariness evident in my tone. I couldn’t give him what he wanted to hear right now. Not when the memory of my father’s death was constantly mere seconds away from emerging and pulling me under, and the next time it happened, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop it.

“Rose, if you would just?—”

“Thanks for the ride, Aris,” I said. Before I turned to face the palace, I added, “At least you can tell your sister we didn’t kill each other.”

It wasn’t trust. But it was something.