A Vow So Bold and Deadly (The Cursebreaker Series Book 3)

My strategy room is warm from a roaring fire, and I’m surrounded by people who seem focused on a common goal for once, but my thoughts keep replaying the moment when Harper looked up at Grey with tears in her eyes and called him “Scary Grey.” Or the moment when he dropped to a knee and said, “Do you no longer trust me?” in that quiet voice I thought he only reserved for me.

Jealousy is petty and useless, especially right now, and yet I cannot seem to chase it out of my thoughts. They had a history together, Harper and Grey, and even though it might not have resulted in anything more than friendship between them, it was still clearly … something. She was hurt and she ran here. For him. That is meaningful.

Nolla Verin is deep in conversation with Clanna Sun and two of the army officers, General Torra and Captain Solt, debating whether this means we should attack now, or whether this means we would be under attack from another magical creature—but Grey’s eyes are on me. He can surely tell I’m unsettled. He notices everything.

I’m not sure what to say to him.

I’m spared the need, because Jake bursts through the doors. He’s never one for much pageantry, so I’m not surprised when he just starts talking. “Harper’s with Noah. I brought her some food and some fresh clothes.” He runs a hand across the back of his neck. “I don’t know what all happened, but she’s … she’s pretty rattled.”

“So she has come here seeking sanctuary?” I say.

“A bold request of an enemy,” says Nolla Verin, but her voice is not as strong as it might have been yesterday. She glances at me. “Especially an enemy who once took our queen prisoner.”

“She’s not my enemy,” Jake snaps, and the army officers exchange a glance.

“Perhaps we should continue this conversation privately,” says General Torra with a glance at Solt.

And just like that, we’re at odds again.

“Harper is Jake’s sister,” I say evenly. “I can understand his sympathies.”

“Will she reveal information on the enchantress?” says Nolla Verin. “What is she willing to offer?”

“We should be wary of a trap,” says Solt. He casts a glance at Grey, and I can tell that Harper’s sudden appearance has added a flicker of doubt to whatever resolution happened between them this morning. “This could be a ploy to force our hand.”

“It’s not a ploy,” says Jake. “And she’s not offering anything.” He pauses. “She wants to rescue Rhen. She’s asking for help to defeat Lilith.”

“Help!” My eyebrows go up. “She seeks our assistance in challenging this enchantress?”

“Not ours.” Jake looks at Grey. “Yours.”

Everyone else explodes with disagreement. Nolla Verin wants to interrogate Harper. Clanna Sun thinks this could be a planned distraction, especially given how few days we have left. Solt and Torra both believe this could be a trap, a way to lure our soldiers to their deaths. But Grey hasn’t said much since we entered this room, and he says nothing now. His expression is impossible to read: his soldier face. I wish I knew what he was thinking.

Jake is staring at him from the other end of the table. “When you were hurt and desperate and nearly dead, you came looking for Harper. You literally fell through my door and bled all over my carpet. You shouldn’t be shocked that she came looking for you.”

I look at Grey. “Is that true?” I whisper, softer than thought.

“Yes.” He looks at me. “I had no other choice.”

Just as he believes that Harper had no other choice. He doesn’t even need to say it. I can feel it in his words.

“She helped you,” I say, and it’s not even a question.

“Yes,” says Grey. His gaze is steady on mine. “Harper helps anyone who needs it.”

I remember the night Prince Rhen chained him to a wall, how Harper helped him escape then, too. No political gain, no posturing. At the time, I thought it was because of a spark between them, and maybe some of it was, but maybe some of it was simply … Harper. When Rhen took me prisoner, Harper came to my room and apologized. She didn’t offer friendship, but she offered kindness. Compassion. Empathy.

The reminder makes some of my jealousy shrivel up. Not all of it, but some.

I have no idea what this means to our war, but I don’t think she’s lying. I don’t think this is a trap. My mother would use this opportunity to attack in force, to raze Emberfall while the prince is most vulnerable. Nolla Verin is practically clutching her fingers against the table, hoping I’ll do the same thing.

All along, I’ve wanted peace. I’ve wanted what was best for my people. That doesn’t mean anything if I don’t want it for all people.

“Then go speak to her,” I say, and it costs me something to speak the words. “See what she needs.”

Grey rises at once, and I wish he weren’t so quick to action. I inhale sharply, and he hesitates, his eyes finding mine. He’s waiting for me to tell him not to.

I don’t. I force my lips to close.

I’m the only one remaining silent, however. “Your Majesty,” says Clanna Sun. “If they are to meet in private, the rumors—”

“The hell with the rumors,” Jake growls. “My sister isn’t some kind of spy.”

“Then perhaps an assassin?” says Solt.

“An accomplice?” says Nolla Verin.

Grey sighs. “As Jake said, the hell with rumors. If you believe Harper is here as part of a sinister plot, you are invited to come along and see for yourself.”