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.
Soon, the top of the castle finally came into view. Guards stood at their usual posts, and the castle wall had been fully repaired since the last time Galo had seen it.
One of the guards recognized Galo, and his eyes widened. He looked from Galo to Aren and back again. He rushed to open the gate. Another guard darted away from the others and up the castle steps. He disappeared inside.
Galo pulled his horse to a stop in front of the gate and dismounted. He unhooked his bag and swung it over his shoulder. Beside him, Aren and Iria also dismounted, Iria wincing as she put pressure on her foot.
“Wait here for a minute,” Galo said to the four men. He walked to one of the gate guards—Wade—and lowered his voice. “We just met those four men on the road. They said they have information for the king. They’ll need to be searched for weapons and accompanied by guards if they set foot in the castle.”
Wade nodded, then smiled broadly. “Welcome back.”
Galo returned the smile. “Thank you.” He took a step toward the castle, then stopped and glanced back at Aren and Iria. Iria had her head tipped back, staring up at the castle like she hadn’t seen it before, hadn’t spent weeks here not long ago. Maybe it looked different this time.
“Are you coming?” Galo asked.
Aren offered his arm to Iria. She shook her head and stepped forward. “I’m fine.”
Galo turned back to the castle entrance to see Cas flying through the door. His face broke into a grin when he spotted Galo. He sprinted down the steps and pulled Galo into a hug.
Galo laughed as he squeezed Cas. “Nice to see you too.”
“You’re totally insane.” Cas pulled away, keeping his hands on Galo’s shoulders. “Did you really go to Olso?” His eyes flicked behind Galo and he seemed to find his answer immediately as he spotted Iria.
“You seem surprised,” Aren said with a hint of amusement. “You didn’t actually think I’d be able to rescue her?”
Cas laughed, then to Galo’s surprise, embraced Aren briefly. Aren appeared even more shocked.
“I never doubted it for a second,” Cas said. He turned his attention to Iria. “It’s nice to see you again, Iria.”
“You too,” Iria said quietly.
Galo glanced behind Cas. If Mateo was on duty, he wasn’t allowed to leave his post. So it didn’t mean anything that he hadn’t shown up yet to greet him.
That’s what Galo was telling himself, anyway.
Em appeared at the door and rushed out, grabbing Aren for a hug. Galo pulled Cas aside and spoke quietly.
“Those men claim to have seen the Olso army and Olivia,” he said. “We just met them an hour ago. They want to give you information directly.”
“Let’s hear it, then,” Cas said, striding toward the men.
“Cas.” Galo jogged to catch up with him. “I don’t know them; you should have an adviser—”
Cas waved his hand. “It’s fine. I’m immortal.”
Galo made an exasperated noise, but several guards were already surrounding Cas, shielding him from the men, who looked startled to see the king approaching them.