Page 34 of Hollow Court
THIRTEEN
Galina
I was beginningto think that being in constant danger was my new normal, no matter where I was.
It was a toss-up, really, between rebels who wanted to kill me on one side of the mountain and a monster who wanted to own me on the other.Der’mo. The latter wasn’t even a real option anymore, not now that my uncle would know I had disobeyed him.
Rebels, it is.
I waited for the fear to sink in, the panic, but the past two weeks seemed to have drained me of those emotions. Frustration, however, I felt in spades.
I was so tired of being the weakest link to this party. Though I could work my way around a ballroom or a court dinner, the journey here had made it clear how perilously few life skills I had.
So, Davin wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t defend myself, not against Alexei and not against these rebels, but that didn’t mean I was willing to sit back while someone else died in my stead. Even if that person was Gwyn.
“I appreciate the political implications of me dying on Lochlannian soil, but surely you aren’t willing to risk your own cousin in my stead?” I pointed out.
Of course, Gwyn snorted, but Davin looked at me consideringly. Then, in a lightning-quick movement, he pulled a dagger from his boot and hurled it directly at the duchess.
The blade hurtled through the air directly toward her face in a whisper of wind and steel. There had been no warning, no noise, no sign at all that he was about to attack her, and yet…
She snatched the blade out of the air with a bored expression. My mouth fell open in shock. I had barely seen her hand move.
Smirking, she twirled the dagger around in her fingers before handing it back to Davin with a flourish, like it was a playing card.
Gallagher rolled his eyes.
“If you two are quite finished with your theatrics…” He turned to me. “As much as it pains me to feed her ego, my sister isn’t in much danger from an assassin. The only one who can really best her is our father, and I doubt he’ll be showing up trying to murder her—”
“Unless he finds out about her liaisons with his soldiers,” Davin added with a shrug.
“I like to think he’d kill them first,” Gwyn said. “Give me some warning.”
I cut in before the conversation could get completely derailed, as it had a tendency to do with the cousins.
“I won’t deny that was…” I searched for words to adequately describe what I had just seen. “Impressive.”
Gwyn’s expression was smug, and she gestured for me to continue.
“But what happens if there is more than one?” Though her reflexes were amazing, anyone could be outnumbered.
Gwyn opened her mouth to respond, but Davin stopped her with a gesture. Rather, he gestured to Gallagher, who grabbed his sister’s arm and tugged her toward the door.
“Come on, Twinsy. Ms. Agatha was making shortbread when I left.”
She started to argue before catching whatever look he was giving her.
“Fine,” she said, following her brother out into the hall. “But you’d better not be lying about the shortbread—”
Her words cut off when Davin shut the door. He crossed the room to me, his expression more serious than before.
“We won’t do this if you really aren’t comfortable with it,” he began.
“I’m not,” I assured him.
He held up a hand. “But at least hear me out first.”
Reluctantly, I nodded.