Page 28 of Of Masks and Fury

The clasp came loose, the fabric slipping from my shoulders.

Trew was there immediately, his fingers working the clasp back into place. His touch lingered on my throat as he adjusted the fabric.

“Can’t have you catching cold, Princess,” he said.

Anyone watching would see a dutiful guard attending to his charge. I felt the intimacy of his fingers on my skin, the possession in that simple gesture.

A servant approached, shears in hand to trim hedges. “Your Highness. Is everything alright here? You’ve returned so suddenly. Has something happened?”

I nodded tightly, and Trew’s hands dropped away. The servant remained with us a bit longer, his eyes sharp, before retreating.

We continued, and I catalogued everything. More guards than usual patrolling the garden walls. A figure in an upper window, standing perfectly still.

Watching us.

My skin crawled.

“Someone’s following us,” Trew said by my ear, pointing toward a flowerbed as if he was speaking of the plantings.

“I feel it too.”

Trew’s fingers whispered across my hand, a fleeting touch that said more than words. His fingers curled, the warrior in him preparing for threat even as his eyes remained calm. We’d faced death together before, his body shielding mine from blades and beasts alike, my magic surging to protect him. A silent promise passed between us. We would do it again, without hesitation.

“The eastern garden wall,” he said, his lips barely moving. “Second parapet from the right.”

I didn’t turn my head, didn’t acknowledge the information beyond a slight tilt of my chin. Trust flowed between us, absolute and unquestioned.

“Gavelle will follow them,” he said.

“Tell him to be careful.”

Pherin fluffed her feathers and peered around.I look too.With a swoop off my shoulder, she was gone.

Someone had tried to kill me at Syllavar. Were they here too? They may have followed me home.

“We need to be careful,” Trew said.

“Very.”

But being careful meant more distance. More pretending. More hours of torture before we could touch each other again.

We completed the circuit of the gardens and headed back inside, where warmth wrapped around us like a soft blanket. After leaving my cloak, I led him through more corridors, pointing out other locations, while my mind raced.

Commander Thorne had disappeared with a dark-haired woman.

My father was taking numerous precautions for some reason.

People were watching us.

And we had twelve days to find Addie, stop the Day of Mercy, and uncover what happened with her and Fenmark.

At least I wasn’t facing this alone.

Tonight, we’d plan properly. Tonight I’d feel his arms around me again.

Until then, I just had to survive us being strangers.

CHAPTER EIGHT