Mist's Edge (The Broken Lands #2) - T.A. White Page 0,30

your men from one when they wouldn’t listen to reason.”

He settled back. “Next time just let the plant have them. It’ll save me from having to weed the idiots from my ranks.”

Shea made a sound of agreement. Sleep had latched its tentacles around her and was fast dragging her down. Her eyes closed as she relaxed into Fallon, the feel of his hands rubbing her back lulling her further into sleep.

“Wait, where were your guards?”

Exhaustion stole the filter from her mouth. “You didn’t actually think I would listen to that order, did you?”

His chest tensed under her. She opened one eye to peer up at a set of whiskey colored eyes glaring down at her. She closed the eye and snuggled back into him. She was too tired for this conversation.

“Maybe not you, but them, definitely.”

She patted his stomach. “It’s cute how you think they could stop me.”

There was an angry huff above her head. This time she didn’t open her eyes, letting sleep pull her under. A kiss pressed against her ear and then Fallon pulled the covers up over her shoulder.

“You know that’s not why I left Daere with you?”

“What is?” her question was a drowsy murmur.

“I never wanted you to act as a normal Trateri woman. She’s there to provide guidance when you need it—to ease your path when possible.”

“Hmm,” was her only response.

“Sleep, Shea. We can discuss this when you’ve rested.” A short time later she thought she heard him whisper, “What am I going to do with you?”

She had no answer for him as she lost the battle against her exhaustion and fell into sleep’s embrace.

CHAPTER SIX

VOICES WOKE her, the partition doing little to shield her from the sound. Shea blinked sleepily at the empty pillow beside her. She stretched, sending one arm questing through the covers, already knowing she would find no warm body next to hers. The sheets still held a hint of his heat, meaning he hadn’t been gone long.

Shea sat up, the sheets pooling in her lap. Her hair was a tangle of curls around her face. She ran one hand through them, pulling them back.

She squinted at the partition as she tried to figure out what she should do. Her mind had that cottony feeling that she got when she just woke up after not getting enough sleep and her mind didn’t feel like it was processing things fully yet.

It took everything in her to gaze dumbly at the other side of the room and not just collapse back onto the bed and go back to sleep. She was tempted, her body telling her it hadn’t quite had enough rest after the demands she’d put it under.

Her bladder, on the other hand, was saying that sleep would have to wait. She knew from experience that getting up now would mean returning to sleep once she’d taken care of business would be near impossible, especially with the briefing currently taking place in the next room.

That left her sitting on the bed in the semi-dark as she debated each option, torn between trying to sleep a little longer and giving into the inevitable and staying awake. In the end, her bladder decided for her.

She grumbled as she grabbed Fallon’s shirt from the carpeted ground by the bed. She tugged it over her head as she made her way by feel to the chamber pot located in a room attached to the bed chamber.

Her bladder appeased, Shea went to her trunk and pulled out a clean set of clothes. She’d long given up the battle of doing her own laundry, Fallon’s personal attendants making it clear in a non-vocal fashion that that was their job and they wouldn’t allow her to have it any other way. It had taken two weeks of them holding her clothes hostage except for a single set laid out each morning before she bowed to the inevitable and let them wash them every night. As long as they put them back in the trunk when they were done, Shea had decided to let them have their way.

Once dressed, she hesitated. She didn’t really want to deal with whatever was happening on the other side of the partition. Unfortunately, there was only one way out of their living space and it was through there. Shea had broached the idea of two entrances and was told no. It would be too difficult to secure both.

Unfortunately, that left her with the decision of whether it was worth interrupting or just waiting