Allied (Ruined #3)(95)
He put both hands on her cheeks and kissed her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and rose up on her toes, drawing them closer together. His whole body almost collapsed with relief. He might never let her out of his sight again.
“I’m sorry about Olivia,” she said as soon as they broke apart. “She was coming for you. I had to.”
“I know,” he said softly. He kept his hands on her cheeks, refusing to let her go yet.
“Is Em all right?”
“I haven’t seen her yet. But she knows you did it to protect us.” Aren thought that Em might have even been a little grateful, deep down. Iria saved Em from having to do it herself.
He leaned down and kissed her again, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him. She pressed both hands to his chest, and he took one as he pulled away, lacing their fingers together.
“Where were you?” he asked. “I lost you after you gave Em to Galo. Did you go into the castle?”
“No, I helped Mariana and a few other Ruined fight off the warriors.”
He took in a sharp breath and looked down at her foot. “You really weren’t in shape to fight yet. You should have stayed where I could protect you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me. I did just fine on my own, obviously.”
“You’re still healing. Once you—”
Iria cut him off with another kiss, a low laugh sounding from the back of her throat. “Are you yelling at me or kissing me?” she asked. Her arms tightened around his waist.
“Both, I think.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again.
FORTY-NINE
“ARE YOU EVER going to die?”
Cas pressed his lips together to keep in a laugh. The words were spoken by Jovita, who glared at him from the other side of her cell. She’d been locked up beneath the castle since the day of the battle, and it seemed she’d assumed he was dead.
“He’s immortal,” Galo said, stepping off the stairs behind Cas. “I guess you didn’t hear.”
Jovita looked between the two of them, like she couldn’t decide if they were telling the truth. The Ruined had clearly damaged her mind, because he could see the confusion all over her face as she frowned at them. It had been nearly a month since she’d returned to the castle on the day of the battle, and she hadn’t improved at all.
He felt a flash of sympathy for Jovita that she didn’t deserve. She didn’t deserve any of what he was about to do, but he knew it was the right decision. It was the first time he’d felt at peace about Jovita since his mother had died.
“I’m sending you to the fortress,” Cas said, stepping forward and pulling out the key to the cell. “There are guards waiting at the top of the stairs. They’ll escort you to a carriage, and then south, to the fortress.”
She regarded him suspiciously as he pulled the door open. “And then what?”
“And then you may do whatever you want, in the confines of the fortress. You’ll be given a room, not a cell, and you’ll have full access to the grounds. But you’ll be guarded at all times.”
She laughed. It was short and loud, and not at all amused. “You’re lying. You’re going to send me away so you can kill me without getting your hands dirty.”
“No, that’s what you would have done. The guards have been ordered not to harm you.” He swept his arm toward the stairs. “Go. We may come up with a different arrangement in the future, but for now, you will live in the fortress, and I will live here, and with a little luck, we will never see each other again.”
She stood slowly, never taking her eyes off him as she walked to the cell door. She stepped out of the cell and darted quickly past Cas, like she was afraid he was going to grab her. She ran up the stairs at full speed.
“No good-bye, then,” Galo said as he watched her go.
“I’m heartbroken,” Cas said dryly. He walked up the stairs, Galo following behind him, and watched as guards escorted Jovita down the hallway. It was strange that he’d been so scared of her a few months ago that he’d agonized over killing her. Now she just seemed like a sad reminder of the past.
Aren rounded the corner, and Jovita shrank toward one of the guards as soon as she spotted him. He laughed as he came to a stop next to Galo.
“At least I still scare some people,” he said. “My reputation has taken a hit recently. No one refers to me as ‘the bad one’ anymore.”
“I’m sure there are still a few people in Olso who call you that,” Galo said.
“Thank you. That makes me feel better.” Aren bumped his shoulder against Galo’s. “Come on. I think most of the Ruined are already waiting.”
“We have a meeting,” Galo explained as he stepped away from Cas. “We have a few things to discuss before the Vallos king arrives tomorrow.”
Cas sighed. The new king of Vallos had reached out to start peace talks, and Cas didn’t look forward to his visit. The kingdoms of Vallos and Olso had made it clear that they did not support Lera’s decision to let Ruined participate in government. He’d yet to hear from August at all on the subject of a peace treaty. Violet said he was probably too embarrassed after their humiliating defeat at the Lera castle. Rumor had it that everyone had heard that Iria, the most notorious traitor in Olso, had been the one to defeat Olivia Flores. There had even been a movement to pardon her and let her return home. She’d told Cas that August would never agree to that, and even if he did, she had no interest in returning to Olso.