Fearless (Nameless #3)(12)

Zo thought of the scars on her hands. “That day might be sooner than we think.”

Gryphon nodded. “I agree.”

When she noticed Laden approaching from the corner of her eye, Zo took a small step away from Gryphon, putting a little more space between them.

“You handled yourself well tonight, Ram,” said Laden.

Gryphon offered Laden a clipped bow. “Thank you, sir.”

“My trust isn’t easily won. You will be under the protection of my guard, day and night, until I decide otherwise.”

Gryphon, ever the soldier, did well to mask his annoyance, but Zo recognized the slight crease in his brow. The way his breath deepened and his nostrils subtly flared.

“That’s not necessary,” she blurted. “Gryphon isn’t a threat. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Joshua and my people.”

Laden turned a gentle eye on Zo. “You sound just like your trusting mother when you say such things.” He raised his hand to her cheek and kissed the top of her head like he had a hundred times when she was a child. “I’m so relieved to have you home.” To Gryphon he added, “My guard are waiting outside to escort you to your tent. You’ll shadow me tomorrow before we put you to work.”

When Gryphon didn’t make a move to leave Zo’s side, Commander Laden added, “You’re excused.”

Gryphon looked over at Zo and back to Laden, as though he might chance defying his first order.

“I’ll find you tomorrow,” Zo supplied. She wished she could hug him and reassure him that this new life would be a happy one as Gryphon stepped away from her side and toward the tent flaps.

“One last thing, Gryphon,” said Laden.

“Sir?”

“I’ve given the order of your protection, but you’ll still need to guard yourself. At this moment you are the most hated man in my camp.”

“I understand, sir.”

Four guards filed out behind Gryphon, leaving Zo and the Commander alone in the tent.

Without thinking, Zo blurted, “I want to share a tent with Joshua and Gryphon.” The unplanned words surprised even her. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she struggled to meet Commander Laden’s eyes. More softly, she added, “They are like my family. Joshua is like a brother to Tess and me. It might help him adjust.”

When she finally caught Laden’s disapproving glare, she took an involuntary step back. “To sleep together on a trek across the mountains is one thing. It’s quite another to share a tent in an established camp. Until a man claims you properly and receives my blessing, you’ll stay in the Women’s Tent where you belong.”

Zo might have argued if her throat wasn’t clogged with shame. He has claimed me, she almost said.

… sort of.

“When were you planning to tell me about the blood oath?” Laden asked.

Zo covered her scars out of instinct. The change in topic left her sputtering, “I … ”

Laden held a hand out for her and led her back into the heart of the tent. He took two stone goblets from a cabinet near the table, along with an old-looking bottle of weak wine. They sat at the table and Laden poured. He handed her the glass and said, “Start talking.”

The story of her bargain with Ikatou spilled over her lips like acid. She couldn’t rid herself of them fast enough.

“Leave it to a Kodiak to rope a desperate person into a promise they don’t have the power to keep.”

Zo remembered less and less of her father every day, but it was times like these—when she really wanted the sympathy she usually shied away from—that she missed him most. She imagined what it would be like to have someone put their arm around her and simply promise to make the problems go away.

Laden was amazing in so many ways, but he’d never been that type of a protector. He wouldn’t swoop in and solve this for her. Not because he didn’t care or didn’t want to see her in pain, but because, as much as he loved her, he would always put his cause before any one person. Childish as it was, Zo wouldn’t mind if, just once, he’d put her first.

“I don’t have the power to fix this,” she said. “But you do. Whether I like it or not, my fate is tied to the Nameless still imprisoned inside Ram’s Gate. There has to be some way you can free them.”

Laden didn’t speak for several moments. His eyes glassed over, his thoughts drifting to a place beyond Zo’s sight.

“Laden?” she finally asked, urging him back to present.

“I will not attack the walls of Ram’s Gate. We can’t breech their defenses—not until the majority of their forces are demolished—and we can’t defeat them as we are. Your boy was right about that much. I need more support from the other clans.”

“You’re about to have the entire Raven Clan at your disposal. How much more could you possibly need?”

“I need the Kodiak. And I need time to train the new Raven and Kodiak who’ll be joining us. He looked down his long nose at her with pity.

“He doesn’t know anything about the oath yet, does he?”

Zo’s brow furrowed.

“I’m talking about Gryphon.” He clarified. “You’re in love with him, yet you haven’t told him?”

Zo pulled her hand out from under his. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, she knew her face revealed the truth.