Plagued by nightmares of her father's imprisonment and Kellan's disappearance, Wren enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth.
But can she be honest with herself? Promised in marriage, she faces the toughest decision of her life--which gu...
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We wound around several turns until we heard a loud sneeze and a man muttering under his breath something about not being paid enough to guard a nobody.
"Ow." Vega tugged, trying to release her hand cemented in my heated grip. "I appreciate he's your father, but I'm here to help." She yanked another time, and her cold fingers slipped through my grasp. She rubbed the pink marks on the back of her hand.
I winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean—"
"I know." She nudged my shoulder with hers, not lifting her sight from the lone guard, blocking the narrow passage on the left.
The tubby man stood there, picking his nose with his thick fingers. He grunted, wiped his fat digit down the front of his ill-fitting uniform, then scratched his butt.
"I'd be angry too if someone spoke about my dad like that." Vega cringed and stepped back beyond the guard's view, fluffed her hair, and smoothed out the Water Circle shirt over the curve of her breast.
I scrunched my brows together. "What in the Circle's name are you doing?"
"Creating a distraction."
Kellan wrinkled his nose. "Not with—"
"Well, I'm certainly not walking through that disgusting creature." She dropped the veil of the astral plane, turned hard on her heels and strode off toward the booger covered officer.
Vega might have made a great actress. The moment she made it into the guard's line of sight, her pace slowed to a saunter, and she swayed, humming while she went as if dancing to a far-off tune the rest of us couldn't hear.
The guard stared at her, tilting his head with unblinking eyes. She was only a few feet away when he cleared his throat. "Miss?"
Vega giggled and spun slowly, letting her arms swing with her movement. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was drunk.
"Hm?" She glanced up at him with a warm smile as if just realizing she wasn't alone. "Hey..." She staggered sideways. "You're missing the party."
"Party?" He blinked twice and straightened up.
"Uh-huh." She took a couple steps toward him, then stumbled three more backward, landing on her butt before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Back"—she glanced around as if trying to get her bearings—"there." She pointed in the direction we'd just come.
"Those buggers! I knew they were hiding something." He rubbed his chin and stepped forward, reaching out an arm to help her up. "Are there other women here too?"
"Other ladies?" Vega pouted, lounged back on her elbows, thrusting out her chest. "You have me alone, and you want to know if there are others?" Her curls slipped from her shoulders and swept the ground.
"Look, our opening." Kellan squeezed my hand, already leading the way.
The man wiped his hand on his pants. "I swear, I only thought someone as beautiful as you, would never consider..." He took another step forward, adjusted his crimson-red jacket, and offered his assistance once more. "What talent guild are you from, my dear?"
