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Willa grinned. “Not he. She.”
My eyes went wide. “Boy, do we have a lot to catch up on.”
Willa laughed, winding her arm around John’s. “We do.”
He eyed the door warily. “Soon. But first, we need to get you out of here.”
I shook my head. “I can’t leave.”
It took some time to explain, but they finally understood my master plan. Well, Willa did. She even insisted on staying with me as backup. My instinct was to protest, because why endanger her too? But, lord. Even I knew when I needed a friend at my side.
“Too dangerous,” John protested. “For both of you.”
“Maybe, but the plan makes sense,” Willa said. “The longer we buy Marian’s allies time, the better chance they have of defeating Prince John. And anyway, what’s really dangerous is for her to remain alone.” She bumped shoulders with me and grinned. “Together, the two of us make a pretty imposing force. And not just when it comes to setting booby traps.”
“I have no doubt,” he said. “But it’s still too much to risk.”
Willa pulled something out of her pocket and pressed it into my hand. “There’s this, too.”
I gasped, holding it up. “The Ring of Aquitaine!”
“It works. It really works,” Willa whispered. “When I needed it most, it helped.”
The moment I slid it onto my finger, I felt its warmth and hidden power. Which was comforting, but frightening too. How soon might I have to call upon it?
It took a lot of convincing, but we eventually talked John into keeping guard over the back stairs while Willa and I hunkered down in the library, trying to plan for every eventuality. When Tuck returned — soon, I hoped — we would all meet to take stock.
“I just hope he’s not kept long in Nottingham,” I fretted.
“If it’s the sheriff who called him in, it’s fine. He’s on our side,” Willa assured me.
Wow. Robynne Hood had built a truly formidable network. Still, with Lady Thornton in Nottingham…
“That woman is bad news,” John grumbled.
“That woman is also a wolf shifter,” I warned. “Not to be underestimated in any way.”
Willa went still. “You know about shifters?”
I shooed John toward the back door, then winked at my friend. “Like I said, we have a lot to catch up on. Shall I go first, or do you want to?”
Willa’s eyes were wide. “You first. Because this, I have to hear.”
Chapter Ten
TUCK
Outside the castle, it was cold and gloomy. Inside wasn’t much better. And when I was ushered into the great hall, the air all but crackled with malice.
“Lady Thornton,” I murmured, dropping into a deep bow.
She snapped her fingers, prompting the staff to scurry away. Massive oak doors slammed shut behind me, and the sound echoed through the hall.
“Friar Tuck.”
Her tone was flat, and I could feel her eyes prodding me like a new specimen on a dissection dish.
Silence stretched, playing games with my mind. What had I already given away? My practiced bow would have told her about the high standing of the family I’d been born into, while my robe spoke of where I was now and why. And my scent…
