Page 41 of Of Masks and Fury

I watched the exact moment realization hit. She’d just grabbed her king without permission or protocol or any of the careful formality that should exist between ruler and subject.

Lexie jerked back, her eyes wide. “Fates, I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I didn’t— I wasn’t thinking.”

But Trew was smiling, the expression transforming his disguised features into something warm and genuine and so completely him that it made my heart spasm. It was one of the first real smiles I’d seen since he’d arrived at Caldrith.

“It’s fine, Lexie.” His voice carried none of the stiffness of a king addressing a subject. Just a man grateful for friends who rode into danger without being asked.

She relaxed, though color still stained her cheeks. “Well. Good. Gavelle brought us the message that you’d done your part, and we were eager to do our own.”

I watched them, my two worlds coming together in this trap of a room. Trew, who’d worn a crown and commanded armies, letting himself be hugged by someone who saw him as a person first. Lexie, who’d become my friend during trials designed to kill us, refusing to let me face this new nightmare alone.

The realization warmed and ached in equal measure.

A knock at the door rang out.

Trew’s hand dropped to his sword as he moved to answer it, his body shifting back into bodyguard mode. He checked the wards first, a subtle flare of magic, before opening the door.

Mae entered with a tray so laden with food it should’ve required two people to carry. Roasted chicken and fresh bread, cheese and fruit, plus delicate pastries that smelled of honey and cinnamon. Steam rose from a large pot of tea, the scent familiar and comforting.

She knew I hadn’t been eating properly, and she could see the stress in every line of my body and in the shadows under my eyes. This was her way of showing she cared when she couldn’t ask questions.

“Thank you, Mae.” I watched her set the tray on the low table near the fireplace. “It looks perfect.”

She straightened, her eyes moving between the three of us again. Calculating. “I’ll be nearby if you need me.”

The outer door closed behind her.

“She knows something’s wrong,” Lexie said.

“She’s known me my entire life.” I moved to the table, suddenly ravenous despite the knot of anxiety in my belly. “She’s loyal. She won’t betray us.”

“Even to her king?” Trew asked, his voice carefully neutral.

“Especially to him.” I thought of Leo, Mae’s grief, and all the small rebellions she’d witnessed in my rooms and never reported. “She’s Leo’s mother.”

“Ah.” Lexie nodded. “If you trust her, I do too.”

We settled around the food, Trew positioning himself in the chair with a clear view of the door and windows. Even sitting, reaching for bread and cheese, he remained on guard. One hand stayed free, ready to grab his sword.

He couldn’t stop protecting me, not even for a moment.

Pherin hopped onto the table, stealing a piece of chicken and dragging it to the edge where she devoured it with enthusiastic pecking. When Lexie reached for the same serving dish, Pherin hissed at her, all fluffed teal and silver feathers, with a healthy dose of attitude.

“She’s lovely,” Lexie said dryly.

“She knows it, too.” I watched my companion with affection. She was tiny, ridiculous, and absolutely convinced of her own power, as she should be.

Lexie poured tea for us all. War planning over food. Treason over well steeped herbs.

“So,” Lexie said, settling back in her chair with her cup cradled in both hands. “Tell me why you returned here. King Trewyn sent word that you had and suggested we follow.”

I explained about Commander Thorne’s letter and how I’d searched the dungeon for Addie. “She wasn’t there.”

Lexie’s eyes sharpened. “And Thorne’s missing with a woman. You think it’s her.”

“I don’t know. If he took her and fled?—”

“He could be protecting her,” Lexie said. “Hiding her somewhere your father can’t reach.”