She glanced at him. His voice seemed intentionally flippant, and she wondered for the first time if he was jealous of Aren.
“Yes, just friends,” she said honestly. “He’s like my brother.”
“Ah.”
“You don’t think I would bring a boy I was in love with to watch me marry someone else, do you?” she asked with a laugh.
He shrugged, his expression a bit sheepish at having been caught. “I guess not.”
“We did try to kiss once. We were thirteen. Neither of us could stop laughing long enough to actually do it.”
“Did you have someone you left behind?” Cas asked. “Someone you loved, I mean.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to know that?”
“Sure. You can tell me the truth.”
“Not really.” Damian’s face flashed in front of her eyes. “I had a friend who would have liked to be more, but it never became anything. My mother was very disappointed in me, I think.”
“Why? She liked him?”
“Everyone liked him. He came from a powerful family, but he was still everyone’s best friend. The kind of guy who never forgot a name. Always made everyone feel special. It would have been a good match, but my mother didn’t force me.”
She didn’t know why she’d blurted out that story about Damian, but Cas’s expression brightened as she told it. She might be inclined to tell him all her stories, if he was going to look at her like that.
She took a tiny step away from him. It was easier to think when he wasn’t close enough to touch, and she needed to use this opportunity to get information about Lera’s defenses.
She pointed to a tall, round tower in the distance, at the edge of the coastline. “Is that your coastal defense?”
He nodded. “Those towers are scattered up and down the coast, though we have three just in this area.”
“Have you had any threats since the last war with Olso?” she asked.
“No. An Olso ship was spotted several years ago, but when they contacted the crew, they claimed it was off course. It turned around when the guard in the tower fired a warning. Once the warning is fired, troops immediately come down from the castle and surrounding areas. By the time the ship arrives, an army is ready for them.”
She pointed to the ships in the harbor. “Where are they coming from?”
“Vallos and Ruina.”
“Do you have a lot of ships from Ruina?” she asked.
“We have people there, working the coal mines. The criminals who aren’t suited to be hunters are sent there to work.”
“The hunters are criminals?” she asked.
“Yes. We didn’t have enough volunteers, so my father sent most of the prison population.”
“Were they given a choice?”
“No. And my father used the entire prison population, even petty thieves and people who would have served only a few months. He promises everyone a pardon, but with no end date for their service. Just offers them money for each Ruined kill and sends them out.”
She had no room inside of her to feel compassion for the hunters, but maybe she understood them for the first time. Maybe they were as trapped by their circumstances as she was.
“No wonder they want to kill you.” She glanced over her shoulder. They were alone except for Galo, standing a few paces away. “Come to think of it, I should have brought my sword. There are probably a few people nearby who want to kill you.”
“Oh, at least a few?” He looked like he was trying not to smile.
“I’m sure. They might try to kill me simply for standing next to you. Perhaps you could keep a larger distance between us?” She scooted away from him, a grin spreading across her face almost against her will.
He laughed. “I think I’d actually prefer to have you close by.”
He extended his hand to her, and her breath hitched in her throat as she realized she wanted to take it.
“Walk?” he asked.
She slipped her hand into his, and when he laced their fingers together, her entire traitor body flushed. She ducked her head, pretending not to notice the bursts of happiness exploding in her chest.
TWELVE
CAS WOKE TO someone shoving his shoulder, and he rolled over, squinting in the sudden light. His father stood next to his bed, holding a lantern in the pitch-black room.
“Get up,” the king said. “I want you to see this.” Light flickered off his face, and Cas could see his father’s mouth pulled into a thin, grim line.
Cas hurried out of bed and didn’t question his father.
He pulled on pants and his boots and followed the king out of the room. The castle was quiet as they headed quickly down the hallway to the stairs.
Several guards waited at the main door, including Galo. They formed a circle around the king and the prince as they strode out the door and into the cool night air.