Fires of Treason - Erin O'Kane Page 0,28

you—it,” I say quickly, stumbling over the words. I don’t want him to know I was being pulled towards him, but I’m not sure I covered it up since he’s watching me carefully. “You didn’t answer me. Why are you here?”

Cocking his head to the side, he takes another step closer to me, his eyes softening a bit. “I had to check that you were okay after everything that happened.”

“I’m safe, for now,” I murmur. I need to tell him about what happened at the banquet this morning. He can’t keep sneaking in. “But things are not good, it’s not safe for you to be here.”

I tell him everything. All the events that occurred this morning and the new rules that have been implemented. That he and his people will be killed on sight, and even being seen with one of them is a death sentence for us. How Rhydian is looking for his queen and that the priests are now in control. About the king’s plans on refilling his slave population. This seems to upset him the most, and he paces within the glowing space of the shield, growling under his breath.

“You need to leave, it’s not safe here,” I tell him for what seems like the tenth time. He looks up and suddenly rushes up to my side, his face serious.

“Come with me.”

Turning to face him, I gasp at how close he is, my nose almost brushing his chest. “What?” I exclaim, taking a step back to put some space between us. I can tell he’s excited about his suggestion. His eyes are bright and one corner of his lips twitches up in a half smile.

“Come with me. I’ll take you to my clan, my tribe. You’d love it there. I will show you our ways. You can have a future there, you would be safe.”

My heart stops. Staring at him, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Firstly, that he’d offer that to me, a woman he barely knows. He’s offering me a home, something I’ve never had before, and that means more than he could ever know. However, the fact that he thinks I could just run from everything shows he doesn’t know me at all.

“I can’t just leave, Tor.” I hate saying it, and his expression changes as soon as I open my mouth, like he knew what I was going to say.

“Why?” he demands, his face hard. I gesture around me uselessly, trying to explain but not knowing how. Growling low in his throat, he starts pacing the small area within the shield.

“I have responsibilities, promises I’ve made—”

“They made you a slave!” he interrupts, his anger rising now. I have no idea why he’s so angry about all this, he’s acting like I’ve rejected him personally. Perhaps that’s how he sees it. “They don’t deserve you!”

I look around us as he shouts, worried someone will overhear us, but thankfully no one seems to be around.

Thank the Mother, I praise, only imagining what would happen if someone found us. Stepping forward, I place my hand on his arm, pulling him to a stop.

“Hundreds of children are about to become slaves, Tor,” I say emphatically, needing him to understand my reasoning, but I don’t think anyone can really know unless they have been there. Slavery is a death sentence, not everyone is as lucky as I am. “Families are going to be killed. I can’t run off into the sunset and leave them behind. What kind of person would that make me?”

I hadn’t realised I felt that way until I said it out loud, but it’s true. I would never forgive myself if I left and ignored the fact all those children were going into slavery.

Tor’s face is dark as he watches me, but he finally sighs and wearily runs a hand over his face. “You haven’t lost your kindness. Or your stubborn streak.”

“What?” I frown at his comment, what was that supposed to mean? Lost my kindness? He hasn’t known me long enough to know if I’m kind or stubborn. My thoughts are spinning in circles, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head.

“Nothing. I have a plan.”

This might actually work, I think to myself, as I slowly make my way back to Grayson’s rooms. It’s complete madness and he’s risking too much. But he’s right, this could work. After Tor told me his plan, he left, asking me to step out of the shield and not look back. I’m not sure how

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