Allied (Ruined #3)(72)

She sat up, throwing an arm around his neck and kissing him. A few minutes ago she might have laughed about how she hadn’t even let him get his pants off, but her heart was pounding too wildly for laughter.

He pulled her into his lap, his hands warm against her back. His fingers curled against her skin, like he was trying to pull all of her closer to him. She wanted to let him.

She let go of him long enough for him to shed the rest of his clothes, and to let him pull off the last of hers. He climbed back on the bed, his lips finding hers again. She closed her eyes as his lips brushed across her cheek, her neck, down her jaw. His breath was against her ear, then he said her name, a whisper so soft she barely heard it.

“Em.”





THIRTY-SIX


GALO CAUGHT AREN glancing at him for the tenth time that day. They were in Lera, only an hour or so from Royal City. Aren and Iria rode on the horse next to him, Iria’s arm occasionally circling Aren’s waist to steady herself.

“What?” Galo asked.

“I didn’t say anything,” Aren said.

“You keep looking at me.”

“You look nervous. Is it because of Mateo?”

“Mateo? The guard?” Iria asked.

“His boyfriend,” Aren said. “He didn’t tell him he was going to Olso before running off with me.”

“What?” Iria let out a laugh, perhaps the first genuine one Galo had heard from her since they’d left Olso several days ago. “You didn’t tell your boyfriend you were crossing enemy lines?”

“It was a last-minute decision. Besides, he wouldn’t have liked it.”

Aren threw his head back with a laugh. “I’d come up with a better excuse than that.”

“Seriously,” Iria muttered.

“He’s going to be mad,” Galo said.

“That goes without saying,” Aren said. “But! You’re not dead. I bet he’s going to be excited that you’re not dead.”

“That’s what I’m hoping.” But nerves still swirled in his gut. It was very possible that Mateo was mad enough to want to break up. Perhaps they’d already broken up, and Galo just hadn’t been informed yet.

“I’d be happy to see you, then I’d whack you over the head,” Iria said.

“I feel like that would be the best-case scenario,” Galo said.

Aren stiffened suddenly, his head whipping to the right. He pulled on the reins of his horse, indicating for Galo to do the same. They both came to a stop.

Galo heard the murmured voices a minute later. Aren had warned them of every nearby human the past few days, steering them to a different area if he sensed a large number of people.

Today, he stayed still, which meant he sensed only a small group. Sure enough, Galo spotted a group of four older men through the trees. They carried bags on their backs and traveled by foot. One looked to his right and spotted them, his eyes resting on Galo first. Then he spotted Aren and went completely still. He could clearly see the Ruined marks on Aren’s neck and arms.

“It’s all right,” Galo called, quickly dismounting his horse. He walked to the men with his hands up in the air. “We’re on our way to the castle. You’ve heard there are Ruined there?”

The man with a thick, dark beard stepped out of the first trees. He eyed Aren warily. “I heard it, but I wasn’t sure it was true. We just saw Ruined yesterday, killing people.”

“You saw Olivia?” Aren asked from behind Galo.

“I guess,” the man said. “We took off before anyone spotted us.”

The other three men cautiously stepped forward, one of them staring at Galo’s arms intently.

“I’m not Ruined,” Galo said quietly. “I’m a former Leran guard making sure these two make it to the castle safely.”

“We’re headed to the castle too,” the bearded man said. “The Ruined—” He stole a glance at Aren. “Well, some of the Ruined, I guess, are following the Olso army. We’re going to tell the king.”

“They’re following the army?” Galo repeated. “How do you know?”

“Because we were tracking the army too. They blew through our town not long ago and took whatever they wanted. We’d heard that King Casimir was rebuilding the army in Royal City, so we decided to head that way. We tracked the army until we spotted the Ruined.”

Galo looked over his shoulder at Aren. He wasn’t sure why Olivia would find a human army and not strike.

“She’s waiting for something,” Aren said quietly. “The right moment, or . . . I don’t know.” He looked at the men. “Can you tell us anything else about the Ruined? What they were doing? Where is the army now?”

“I’m—I’m not sure I should say,” the bearded man said nervously. “I think there’s some information I should only give the king.”

“Understood,” Galo said. He couldn’t fault them for not trusting strangers they’d just met on the road. “Do you want to travel with us? I can’t guarantee you access to the king, but I’ll make sure you get to an adviser.”

The men agreed and walked stiffly next to their horses as they headed to Royal City, always keeping Aren in their sight. Galo noticed that while Aren was far more subtle about it, he also kept a close watch on the men. The distrust was mutual.