The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,39

also the matter of my oath. We didn’t know who we could trust in Hireath, let alone how to unearth that information.

Leena shifted beneath my touch, and I slanted my gaze to her. Would it be too much to ask her to go? I didn’t want her to leave. The idea of her being away from Cruor in dangerous territory set my teeth on edge. But we needed answers. If she accepted the Council’s offer to join them, she’d have more resources than we did now. Even if they couldn’t unearth the woman behind the bounty, she’d have access to more bestiaries. More chances to find an alternate solution.

I cleared my throat. “Leena, why don’t you go?” Even as I said it, my fingers tightened against her hip. “Maybe it’s time you take the Council up on their offer.”

Silence stretched on for minutes as she turned to face me, eyes full of questions. She grazed her bestiary and twisted the chain dangling about her neck. When she finally spoke, her words were soft. “I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do.”

Gaige frowned. “Why? It’s possible one of them might know of a beast that could help. But you’d likely have to accept their invitation before they’d allow you to review their bestiaries.”

Her fingers froze against her collarbone, and her voice went cold. “I don’t know if I can trust the Council.”

Scratching his jaw, Gaige parked a hip on the table. “I’ll admit that I’m leery of the lack of information on all this. But to insinuate that someone on the Council is responsible?” He shook his head. “I can’t fathom it.”

“That’s not what Wynn implied.”

“And you’re trusting the musings of a delusional man? The very person who enslaved you and used you as a weapon?”

A low hiss scraped through my teeth, red painting the edges of my vision. “Watch yourself, Gaige.”

Leena didn’t falter. “He may have been delusional, but he wasn’t lying about that. Something changed him, Gaige. And someone was behind that.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach and took a slow breath. “In the end, what happened to him is hardly any different than what happened to me.”

Silence followed her declaration. I expected her hands to fall to her legs, to trace the near-invisible scars on her thighs hidden beneath tailored linen breeches. But Leena held her chin high. Anxiety I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding on her behalf loosened in my chest.

“Not to mention, Raven’s symbol is the same shade as the woman who placed the bounty,” Leena added.

Gaige’s eyes widened a fraction, then slanted to me. “Raven? This is news. Are you positive?”

“I’m the wrong person to ask. I didn’t see it firsthand. All I know is that it’s reddish in color—”

“Currant,” Kost interjected. “It’s currant.”

Calem managed an eye roll. “Sure, Kost.”

Gaige’s brows drew together. “There are a number of Charmers with similar hues living in Hireath. It could be any one of them.” He pinned Leena with his stare. “I’m sure you’ve realized that.”

“I have.” She let out a breath. “Which is why I haven’t openly accused her of anything. I know what it’s like to be wrongly exiled. But I don’t trust her, Gaige. She’s the newest member of the Council. What do you really know about her?”

Gaige gripped the edge of the table and crossed his ankles, a quiet hum escaping from somewhere deep in his chest. “Admittedly very little. But she’s proved herself as a Charmer in the eyes of the people and her beasts. I’m not ready to accuse her, either. So, we’ll have to be careful. If anything, this proves you should still join. You’ll have the opportunity to gather information on beasts—and keep an eye on her or any other who may prove suspect.”

“Can we trust Kaori?” Calem ran an absent hand down his arm. “How many other people are involved in this?”

“We don’t have much of a choice when it comes to Kaori. She’s the only one who knows what’s going on with you.” I kept my voice steady and my gaze level. If his inner beast was as volatile as the pressure of my oath, then we had to keep him calm. He needed to believe that there was a chance he’d make it through this. I needed to believe that.

And so did Leena. She rolled her lower lip between her teeth and nodded. “Let’s hope it was just Wynn and Raven. No one else.”

Ozias pushed off from his place against the bookshelf