Blood Lands (Savage Lands #5)(74)

“Kovacs,” Warwick grumbled under his breath, his hand reaching out to stop me.

Agitation was making me want to tear out of my skin, my feet pacing relentlessly. I couldn’t sit still, and knowing we had hours before we left was even more aggravating. Every second we waited was torture. The images of what happened in the prison made me want to shred through Věrhăza and kill every soldier there.

Warwick gripped the outside of my thigh, his eyes meeting mine. “Breathe,” his shadow spoke against my neck. I tried, but it wasn’t helping.

“No. You can’t. It’s too dangerous.” Zander stood up, strolling back to the counter to pour more hot water into his cup, the side of his body fully touching Eliza’s. She didn’t move away. “Things have changed really fast in the last few weeks. The roads out of the city are being watched by soldiers.”

Warwick’s chest puffed; his lids narrowed on them. “Excuse me, pony-boy?” His tone vibrated with ire. “Roads were always dangerous with bandits and fae soldiers. They have never caught me yet.”

“It’s no longer fae soldiers out there, but HDF.”

My boots came to an actual stop. “What? HDF on the fae side?”

Zander bobbed his head, leaning on the counter next to Eliza.

This country was no stranger to fascism, but it was always crazy how quietly and fast it happened. While ordinary people were just trying to get through the day and survive, it was occurring right under their noses. Istvan was hiding in plain sight and fully taking over. Inch by inch, he was declaring his authoritarianism rule, and it would get to the point there would be no way of stopping it.

“What about the side roads?” I asked. “At least until we hit the border.”

“I don’t know now, but they still seemed unguarded when I checked around last week. It will add at least two more hours and a lot more danger from bandits.”

“We’ll take our chances.” Warwick glared at Zander.

Zander pressed his lips together but relented. “Okay, but I’m going with you. It’s far too dangerous to be alone on those roads.”

I couldn’t disagree. The trouble awaiting us on those roads was probably only getting worse, and being on a single bike was begging for trouble. Two bikes still were easy prey, but we didn’t have a lot of options until we reached Povstat.

“Then, I’m going too,” Eliza stated, setting down her cup firmly.

“What?” Warwick and Zander exclaimed in unison.

“Fuck, no.”

“Absolutely not.”

Eliza’s jaw rolled, shooting a look at each man.

“Do not treat me as if I were some helpless girl. Especially you.” She pointed at her brother. “You were the one who taught me to fight. You know what I am capable of.”

“Liz...” Warwick exhaled out his sister’s pet name. “I’m not saying you can’t fight, but you need to stay here with Simon.” He glanced at his nephew.

“I can watch him.” Tad rubbed the boy’s head. “I’m not totally helpless. And I know where all the cookies are hidden,” he whispered conspiratorially. Simon’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.

“No.” Zander’s tea splashed as he rammed it down on the counter. “I won’t allow it.”

Eliza’s body jerked, her eyebrows arching high, her head tilting, indignation perfuming from her.

“Oh, shit,” Warwick scoffed under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” She turned fully to Zander, her voice twinging with outrage, with the same stubborn determination I saw on Warwick’s face so many times. “I didn’t know you could tell me what to do.”

“I’m not. I’m just—” Zander floundered.

“Being a horse’s ass?” She folded her arms. He gaped and huffed through his nose, his eyes looking around wildly like he wanted us to throw him a lifeline. We let him drown.

“Don’t ever tell me what I can and cannot do,” she seethed. “You do not know me. And possibly won’t ever.”

Zander jerked, pain flickering in his brown eyes, hearing the true meaning of her statement.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed. “It’s just the thought...”

“Of what?” She huffed. “I knew horses were set in their ways, but I didn’t think you were sexist.”

“It’s not that.”

“What then?”

“If anything happened to you!” He threw out his arms. “The idea of you getting hurt.” He shook his head. “Of losing you!”

The room went silent. Eliza froze, her mouth parted.

“What we’ve been through together in the last month...” He let his shoulders expand, raising him up over her. He was a kind man but still had a dominance to him. There was a reason he had been a soldier for Killian and Andris. “I didn’t expect it, actually tried to stop it, but I can’t. I care about you. A lot. I adore Simon. I want this...” He motioned between them. “To be more.”

Warwick’s chair screeched over the wood floor. Before he could get up, I shot him a look.

“Stay out of this.” My shadow’s hand went to his chest, pushing him back down.

Air huffed through his nose, his body tight, ready to leap up and knock Zander to the ground, but he stayed put, his knuckles almost splitting from squeezing them so hard.