Curse Breaker (2)

12

His scent envelops me--smoke and pine and sweat. I squeeze my eyes shut, wrapping my arms through his hold and around his chest.

"Hey." He holds me so tight it's hard to breathe, but I relish in the familiarity, digging my nails into his skin. "It's okay," he murmurs. "You're safe now."

Even closed, my eyes sting at the softness in his voice. It's been just over a week since I saw him last, but it feels like a lifetime. I never allowed myself to consider the possibility that he may have died in the explosion at the Palace, but the thought continued to plague my subconscious. His presence, voice, and touch in the dark cavern releases the shackles fear secured around my wrists.

I lean back slightly to look up at his face. "I can't believe you're here."

"I can't believe you're here. I thought I'd never see you again," he murmurs. I swallow the lump in my throat as his eyes brush across my face. "Samu?"

"He's alive, still unconscious, but alive."

His gaze darkens. "Did they separate you?"

"I left him there. It's... it's a long story. There's a lot I have to tell you."

"Indeed, we have much to discuss." Trina's voice captures both our attention. I don't miss the way Casimir's expression hardens as he straightens his neck to look at her, but she only stares at me, her eyes flickering to the map crumpled in my hand. "What's that?"

A war wages in my head. I have to go back for Samu, that's always been my plan. But as I think of the Torinnian camp, of Sanaa, Josul, and Lei, my answer dries up on my tongue. If Trina was to get the map leading to their camp, what would she do? They're deserters at heart, hard-wired to despise any shifter, just like I was based on how we grew up, oppressed by King Ereon. I don't know how much Trina knows about where I've been and who I've been with, but even before everything happened, I never trusted her. And Casimir didn't, either. While I may still not be sure where I stand, offering up their position to Trina wouldn't help anybody.

They're not our biggest enemy right now.

"Just a drawing from my brother, that's all," I say, shoving it into the pocket of my cape. "It was with him at the Palace."

Her steely gaze drills into mine. "Come." She nods her head in the direction of a narrow tunnel leading off the main cavern. "We have a lot of questions. As I'm sure you do too."

I nod, glancing at Casimir. He puts a hand on my shoulder and guides me forward, his palm large and warm and comforting as we venture in through the tunnel. Elex walks behind us, the glow from his lantern casting our shadows ahead.

We stop at the end of the passage where a large, flattened boulder has been upholstered into a makeshift table, papers scattered across the top. Trina leans against the wall, her face a grimace.

"Are you healthy?" Casimir asks me as soon as we're in private. "Did they hurt you at all? If that traitorous shifter so much as--"

"Cas." I put my hand on his arm. "He didn't hurt me, I promise. None of them did." He furrows his brows, doubtful. "How did you find out Killian was a shifter?"

He looks to Trina. Casimir was never Killian's biggest fan, but the rest of the deserters, including Trina, respected him greatly.

"When neither of you showed up at the meeting spot, we thought the king had captured you both during the explosion," Elex says. "We believed that for less than a day."

"What changed?"

"The councillors visited every village in Elel with a message from King Ereon. Torinnian soldiers had infiltrated our homeland and kidnapped 'a very important person'," he says, eyes shifting to Elex. "That's when it clicked in. Neither you nor Killian showed up. It wasn't difficult to draw conclusions about what happened."