own soldier’s? Something he’d done in front of other avian warriors, who’d been watching in the stands. And why had he held me afterward as if I were some kind of lifeline he needed to survive?
I knew we were Cinder and the prince, but this seemed too good to be true.
I must be misremembering what happened. Crown Prince Saxon Skylair didn’t cherish me...yet. And he shouldn’t. Not until I killed Leonora. I had to kill the phantom. Not just for revenge, though that would be nice. I didn’t want anyone else getting saddled with her.
And then what? Saxon’s family would never approve of our relationship, and his people would never respect the Glass Princess. Which was moot. I didn’t want a relationship with him. I couldn’t be with someone who plotted the murder of my—what had Noel called them? Oh, yeah. Scale-babies.
Weird noises erupted behind me. I threw a frantic glance over my shoulder. Thick darkness greeted me, broken by thin beams of moonlight and the occasional torch. No one seemed to pay any undue attention to me, but I quickened my pace. Maybe I should have requested a guard, after all.
More noises. A whoosh, whoosh making me tense. There was a grunt, then a thud. I trembled as I threw another glance over my shoulder. Still didn’t seem to be in anyone’s crosshairs.
Finally I reached the cobblestone path that led to the palace. The iron archway of hanging wisteria perfumed the air. Someone—or several someones—had tied different colored ribbons to the sides, and those ribbons twirled in the breeze. The guards were long gone, of course, taking my unicorn with them. I’d have to walk the path. Alone. In the dark.
Deep breath in, out. I clutched my dagger higher, the ends of my fingers heating as I accessed a tendril of Leonora’s magic. Trembling, I motored up, up the mountain.
I hit the halfway mark, still going strong. I would get to my babies, and that was that.
Another thud sounded behind me, and I jerked around—Saxon stood in a beam of moonlight, a large troll at his feet. A large troll who’d been following me without my knowledge? I gulped.
Saxon hadn’t changed out of his battle clothes, the garments stained with blood, the sight of him making me weak in the knees. I would never forget how ferocious he’d been on the battlefield, or how tender he’d been with me afterward.
“One day, you’ll have to teach me how to defeat an assailant,” I said, sheathing my dagger.
“You need to learn to sense one first,” he replied.
“Yes, well, that day is not today because...palace,” I blurted out. “I’m returning, remember? Anyway, thank you for the assist, goodbye and good night.” I turned and hurried on. Hopefully he’d take the hint and return to his tent.
Of course, Saxon flew to my side, landing softly to keep pace with me. “Why did you run from me, Ashleigh?”
“Why does it matter, Saxon?” No reason to deny that’s what I’d done.
“Intent always matters.”
Yes, I was beginning to think it did.
“Do you truly expect me to teach you how to defeat an opponent?” he asked. “Me? The man you’ve killed in the past?”
“Well, not when you put it like that,” I grumbled.
To my surprise, he flashed a smile, there and gone. “I will teach you, but you’ll owe me a boon. One to be determined at a later date.”
Wait. He would actually train me? “Why?” I burst out as we marched forward.
“Because no one likes to work for free.”
I rolled my eyes. “I mean, why will you help me?”
A prolonged pause, each second more strained than the last. He peered straight ahead, his shoulders back. Finally, with a low voice, he said, “Maybe I hope the war between us will end once and for all.”
My heart warmed, slow and steady, as if the sun was dawning under my skin. I wanted to say, The war can end. I’m not Leonora. I’m only possessed by her. But I didn’t. I wanted to protect my dragons more than I wanted a truce with him.
“What about restitution?” I asked. I wanted Leonora to pay it, even if I had to do the hard work.
“You do not have to pay it. That is why the restitution is over and done.” He didn’t hesitate to offer the pardon. And he spoke with such finality, as if he knew nothing and no one could ever change his mind.
I reeled at the implications. He’d forgiven me for my childhood actions against him? He