Page 82 of A Sunwoven Ascent

Kaldrek laughed.

“Oh, sweetheart… absolutely not.”

“I am not asking you to surrender them,” Evelyne said. “Only to conceal them. There are no threats here.”

“There are threats everywhere.”

Her finger tapped once against the hilt at her side, a small sign that her patience was now beginning to fray.

Kaldrek’s eyes widened as though he found her request absurd, but at last he gave an exaggerated sigh and began pulling the daggers from his belt one by one. His gaze never left hers as he did, those dark eyes fixed so intently on her that the moment felt far too intimate for the others standing nearby, waiting on their next move. Warmth stirred low in her chest. Evelyne cleared her throat, and Kaldrek’s mouth curved into a smirk.

“And what of his markings?” Aurelia asked, gesturing toward the bold lines of Kaldrek’s Ironwolf and alpha markings. Heidara bore similar ones, though hers were less pronounced. “They do make you look rather handsome, Kaldrek,” Aurelia added, “but I cannot imagine the townsfolk will look kindly upon such… bold declarations.”

“That is very kind of you, Aurelia,” Kaldrek replied, his voice even, “but I am taken.”

She sighed. “Ah yes, so I have heard. I confess, I am quite jealous. Cillian has already given me the broadest outline, though I look forward very much to hearing the full account from you, sister.”

Evelyne frowned. “Jealous, Aurelia? And what of Leopold?”

The brightness in Aurelia’s eyes dimmed almost instantly. For a moment she looked as though a memory had struck her square in the chest.

“He wasn’t particularly fond of claws,” she said lightly, though the small shrug did little to hide the shadow behind it.

Evelyne winced. “How awful.”

Alaric cleared his throat. “I beg your pardon for interrupting,” he said, “but it would perhaps be wiser to agree upon a plan before we enter Velenshire drawing more notice than we should.”

“No, you’re right,” Evelyne said. “We can reminisce later.” She looked around. “Daggers hidden. Perhaps we enter the town in smaller groups?”

“And your broken betrothal?” Aurelia asked, all sweetness as her eyes found Alaric. “Does everyone here know you’ve called it off?”

“Well, this is quite messy, isn’t it?” Cillian said with a grin.

Kaldrek dropped into the grass without warning and laced his hands behind his head as though settling in for an afternoon nap. Every eye turned toward him.

His brows lifted, as though the attention had caught him off guard. “It seems we may be here a while as the rest of you untangle your lives,” he said. “I thought I might sit.” He gave a lazy gesture to the ground around him. “Please. Continue.”

Evelyne rolled her eyes.

“Again, we cannot simply walk into Velenshire like this,” Alaric said at last. “We look like a band of mercenaries.”

“A very handsome band of mercenaries,” Aurelia corrected, brushing a stray leaf from her hair.

Kaldrek snorted.

Evelyne folded her arms. “What do you propose?”

Alaric’s expression brightened in a way she knew all too well. A plan had already formed; now he merely meant to pull the rest of them along with it.

“We enter the city properly,” he said.

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Heidara asked, glancing at their worn clothes and mud-streaked boots.

Alaric turned to Aurelia with a polished smile. “Lady Aurelia and I shall begin by correcting the most obvious problem.”

A spark of excitement crossed Aurelia’s face. “Shopping?”

“Precisely.”