Secret Keepers

Chapter 27

I glanced over at him curiously and walked back over. "Tracker's inheritance? You mean the kingdom?"

"Yes. And the wealth."

"Well why would that be a part of it. He's a prince so he definitely inherits it."

Dagger nodded. "Exactly, but if he dies or disappears, the wealth goes to the leading nobleman and his family. They planned to kill Tracker and the fight for who got the wealth. That's why we left. He never wanted it anyway, but we didn't want him to die to lose it. So we made him disappear. It just happened to keep us all safe as well."

A moth fluttered past me to land on the edge of the couch I was sitting on. I stared at it and it's little fuzzy wings as I contemplated how to question further. "So now that Tracker's back it's his again."

"Unless he deliberately hands it off to someone else. He doesn't know who. He doesn't trust any of the noblemen with it. Nor their children. He told me he intends to probably keep it just to keep it out of the wrong hands. But I think he has different plans. His thoughts say he'll hand it off eventually."

"Well how do you guys deal with the nobleman if he keeps it?"

"Kill them. It's that simple."

"Simple? More like grotesque."

He shrugged and riddled his fingers as he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. I cocked my head. "Are you okay? You seem to be becoming more and more lost as we talk."

He jerked up. "No. I tend to do that when my mind gets moving. I get so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I have to focus hard to stay on task."

"Oh. Okay. Well I guess for right now I'll leave you alone. I'm tired and Cutter may be getting worried."

He focused for a moment and then chuckled. "He is nervous. And a bit concupiscent."

I cocked my head and he chuckled. "Another word for horny. I thought I'd be discreet."

I blushed so hard I could feel it and I rushed out of the room. Now I was kind of nervous to go back to him. It wasn't that I didn't want him aroused for me, but I wasn't sure how I felt about sex in this place yet. I didn't know how many people could hear. It took me a while to adapt to the fact that in our cave, everyone could hear. The only way to mute the sound was to close the door and bar the gaps with towels. We didn't know about that until someone slipped a note under the door while we were in the bedroom.

It said: We understand you two love each other and we actually celebrate that. But could you guys find a better way to mute the sound? We think the door may have some gaps.

I'd been so embarrassed I didn't even want to eat at breakfast the next morning. I'd sat in the room while Cutter went and got my food. He'd been mad that the writer of the note had made me feel embarrassed and I'd heard him yelling at everyone the next morning. No one ever fessed up to writing the note although there was a big debate that it was Tracker. He was the only one who had nearly perfect cursive handwriting.

I walked up to Cutter's door and hesitated. I leaned forward and put my ear to the door. I could hear him talking to someone on the other side.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"I mean, that by your men staying here, it endangers every single person living here other than yourselves. You'll need to find better living space in a month."

"What?! You think we can find our forever home in a month?!"

"No. But I bet you can heal enough to walk out the gates and head out somewhere else."