what looked like a shirt that had been tossed aside. He’d been naked when I’d come in last night, but this area was a mess of clothes strewn about. It was sort of amusing—all these plants surrounding a dark, messy figure. I pulled the fabric over my head and reached for one of the trays, snatching up a bun and shoving it into my mouth.
The warm and yeasty goodness practically melted on my tongue.
"You look well, Brother," Roan said, moving over as he watched the two of us.
"Cress worked her magic on me," Orion said as a wicked grin curved his lips.
The back of my hand slapped his chest before I’d even realized I’d moved. “I—uh…” I stuttered as they both shot me knowing looks. “Can you pass me more bread?” I asked.
As Orion did, he turned and faced Roan. “Where are we with a strategy?” he asked.
Roan popped another piece of fruit into his mouth and swallowed before responding. “I’ve got a meeting scheduled with the guards. Before we came back, I sent a few men to scout the area and follow the King’s supply chain.”
I shoved another one of the delicious rolls into my mouth and groaned as I chewed it slowly before a thought occurred to me. “Where’s Sorrell?” I asked, tilting my head so that I could see around Roan’s form against the railing, but there was no sign of anyone else but the three of us in the room.
Roan pursed his lips and tossed the core of his fruit at the pixie flitting above his head. The pixie snatched it out of thin air and my eyes widened as I watched the little creature unhinge its jaw to a disproportionate size compared to its small body. It bit into the dead core and swallowed the thing into two bites. It was kind of gross, but when the pixie finished its impromptu meal, it sighed and its wings fluttered as if it were happy.
"Sorrell is concerned," he said.
I eyed him. “Regular stick up the ass concerned…” I prompted. “Or…”
Roan didn’t even crack a smile at that and instead, merely shook his head. Shit. That meant it was a serious type of concerned—one he likely agreed with. “The human King—”
“King Felix,” I said, cutting him off briefly.
He shot me a look that made me suspect he didn’t appreciate the interruption. I merely shoved another roll into my mouth and tilted my head back, batting my eyelashes—the picture of complete and utter innocence … because, you know, that’s totally what I was. Innocent.
“King Felix,” Roan restated, narrowing his gaze on my upturned face as he did so, “has gotten far too brave. His colluding with Tyr is evidence of that.”
“He doesn’t know that Tyr’s a Fae, though,” I said, swallowing my mouthful quickly.
“Regardless,” Roan said as Orion put a hand on my arm when I moved to get up, “the fact that he even considered kidnapping a Fae and executing her—never mind that we were able to stop it—proves that this war is far from over. I have no doubt that he’s gearing up for an attack on our countrymen.”
“And Sorrell?” Orion questioned.
Roan sighed. "He's overthinking our options. We have Cress back, and we know at least some of what Tyr is planning, but we don't have any definite steps forward and Sorrell seems to think that something big is on the horizon. I, unfortunately, can’t disagree with him. If King Felix is willing to go to such lengths just to kill one Fae.” He paused and gestured to me before continuing. “There’s no telling what else he’s willing to do or already planning. And Sorrell…”
I frowned, leaning forward, across Orion’s chest as I waited, impatiently, for Roan to finish his last thought. When he didn’t, I raised my brows. “Sorrell what?” I demanded.
“He’s lacking in magical energy,” Roan replied with a glance to his boots. He closed the pocket knife he’d been holding, shoving it along with his hands into the pockets of his dark trousers as he leaned against the railing. His brows furrowed in concentrated thought. “He hasn’t replenished in well over a month, and I worry that he’s going to insist on risking his life for the cause—No.” Roan shook his head, the red locks of his hair sliding across his forehead as he did so. “I know he will.
“So, we can talk to him,” I said, looking to Orion. “Right?”
“It’s not going to be that simple, Little Bird,” Roan answered and when Orion