“I wasn’t sure about bringing him along.” Cassie swung her legs back and forth. “But when I went to get you and found you both in the garden—him holding you all sweet like—I couldn’t very well leave him behind. Even if the golems did seem to think you were in danger.”
My brows furrowed. I’d been unconscious for that memory. The last thing I remembered was seeing Ryker raise his knife before I fainted. “What did you think we were doing out there?” I asked, wondering at my sister’s lack of surprise over Ryker’s ability to talk, as well as her being so okay with him trying to kill me. Did she not know?
“Well, when Alex and I snuck out of the infirmary and stole Coal and Arrow, we landed in the garden where I assumed you’d be. I found Ryker holding your unconscious body and was worried at first when the golem went for him. Then he actually talked, and after explaining that you’d inadvertently healed him, said you’d been super upset when Ari told you about me and that after she’d left, you’d just fainted.”
Really?A scoff escaped my throat. That’s the story he was going with? “What he told you is not true—well, not completely.” My eyes darted across the fire where Ryker sat, whittling away on a piece of wood. “Iwasupset about hearing you were in the infirmary, but that’s not why I fainted. He pulled a knife on me.”
“What!” Her eyes widened. “Kaleah, I never would have—”
“It’s okay,” I rushed. “Apparently he couldn’t bring himself to take my life, and now that he’s had a chance to explain himself, I’m actually glad you brought him along.”
Cassie exhaled a heavy sigh with a puff of white air. “Good, cause if I’d brought a murderer along with us, I was gonna have to take him out myself.”
I chuckled, and Cassie watched me for another moment before a sly grin crept over her face. “So, youdolike him.”
I was sure my face must have been the color of a pomegranate, but I’d be lying if I denied it. Ididlike him. I liked the feeling of his arms around me and how it felt to have his long fingers running through my hair. I liked the way his gold eyes filled with concern when he was worried and the way his face lit up when he smiled. And I’d come to realize I liked the light and slightly broken timbre of his voice.
“I do.”
Cassie squealed in delight, throwing her arms around me and causing both men to glance our way, concerned expressions on their faces. My burning face ignited further, and I really hoped Ryker hadn’t overheard our whole conversation. Oops.
Seeming to realize it was just Cassie being her usual self, they both turned away, making it a little easier to breathe, although her grip around my rib cage wasn’t helping much.
“You don’t know how happy that makes me.” She pulled away to arm’s length. “This is all I’ve ever wanted for us, to be free and happy with the ones we love. I can’t wait to meet my baby and to have you here with me to help raise them. You’ll be the best aunt ever, and then when you and Ryker have children—”
“Slow down there, cupid,” I warned. Her words were too close to Ari’s earlier attempted persuasions. “I said I like him. That’s a far cry from being madly in love and the ‘wanting to carry his offspring’stage that you and Alex are at.”
She cocked her head, seeming slightly taken aback by my abruptness. “That makes sense… but just out of curiosity, do you not want children?”
My eyes widened, and I mulled over her words. “Honestly? I don’t know what I want. I’ve never had a choice before now. I’ve always just done what’s expected of me.”
Anger flashed across her face. “And that’s half the reason why I wanted to run away. You deserve to be free.”
I offered the best smile I could muster, but couldn’t keep my shoulders from slumping. “As great as all this is, you know it won’t last, right?” I hated to be the dreaded voice of reason and kill my sister's good mood, but someone had to do it.
Her eyes narrowed. “It would take a lot for anyone to find us here. Few even know of the garden’s actual existence, much less where it’s at, and it can only be reached by flight. We’re in the middle of a massive mountain range at the end of the world. Trust me, this is the last place anyone will ever look for us.”
“I do trust you, Cassie, but don’t you think an all-powerful goddess knows every bit of her kingdom?”
“Actually she doesn’t.” My sister smiled. “Apparently, when Lilitha refused to submit to Adym’s rule, she was cast out of the First Garden and her memory cleansed of its location.”
I narrowed my eyes, not liking the tone this conversation had taken. “That sounds like something Ryker would believe—”
“That’s because I learned it from an Outlander.”
“What?”
Cassie smirked. “The exact coordinates and specifics to reach the First Garden have been lost to our people since the beginning. Only the Outlander’s know how to access this land. The head priestess Eurell knew I’d been searching for any information concerning the First Garden. Apparently a few years ago she rescued a young Outlander girl who’d been attempting to reach the Sanctum and was nearly slaughtered by the guards. The priestess healed her in secret and slowly gained her trust—enough so that she gave her the coordinates, which she then shared with me under a blood oath that I would never divulge the information to another living soul.”
“So that’s why you didn’t share that information with the Empress?” I pressed, anxiety twisting my stomach at the thought of the high priestess’s betrayal. How could she harbor a fugitive and keep secrets from the empress?
Cassie’s face hardened. “Even if I hadn’t been under oath I wouldn’t have told Lilitha. Not all of her subjects trust her infallibly.”
I flinched at the jab, saddened by Cassie’s ire toward our mother. “I know a lot of what Lilitha asks of us is hard, but it’s for the greater good—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Kaleah. We’re free from her tyranny and safe here.”
“What if we’re not? You may hate the empress, but she’s not wrong about the Outlander’s hatred for us. If they know the location of the First Garden and they ever find us here—people they think are demons—how do you think they’re going to react? Just welcome us with open arms?”