GIDEON
AFTER THE COMMOTION CAUSED by Gideon’s old friends, more chairs were pulled up to the table, and Abbie, Ash, and the others squished in. As Antonio and Bess retreated to the kitchen to cook more food for their unexpected guests, Gideon finally sat back down.
Which was when he noticed the empty seat across the table. “Where’s Rune?”
Bess, bringing out more coffee, poured some into Ash’s cup and said, “I saw her riding into the headlands. There’s a hot spring out there. I told her the heat would do those wounds of hers some good.”
Gideon frowned, remembering the scar he’d seen on her neck. “What wounds?”
Bess startled, missing Ash’s cup and spilling coffee on the tablecloth. “Oh! I assumed you knew.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Gideon was about to press her when Juniper said quietly, “Rune’s back was flayed to the bone.”
His temperature spiked.
“What?”
Bess nodded, clearly relieved to no longer be the only one revealing Rune’s secret. “I saw the marks this morning, when she asked for help dressing.”
Flayed to the bone?
“Who—”
“Cressida whipped her within an inch of her life,” said Juniper. Everyone turned to stare at her.
“It took all of my skill to stop the bleeding,” she added. “She was in and out of consciousness for days. She was in a sickbed for the entire voyage back to the island. She … she didn’t tell you any of this?”
Gideon’s fists clenched beneath the table.
Seraphine frowned at Gideon. “Rune defied Cressida, knowing what would happen. She did it to break your curse.”
To break my …
He thought of his dream. Of Rune climbing into his bed. Of her softness and warmth, nestled against him.
It wasn’t a dream.
“Cressida was going to kill her,” said Seraphine. “The only reason she didn’t is because I gave her what she wanted: the name of the missing Roseblood heir.”
Gideon’s head spun.
Cressida knows Rune is her sister.
Who else knew?
Seraphine wouldn’t state it outright, not here, because it would put Rune’s life at risk. But if Rune ended up back in Cress’s hands …
He pushed out his chair and rose to his feet. “Where is this hot spring?”
