My eyes closed and I sank into his embrace. I became a liquid glob of goo, so incapable of standing that Orion had to catch me before I fell over. A low, quiet laugh echoed out of his throat as he lifted me against his chest and settled me more firmly against him as he took a seat on the ground. I curled into his warmth, and my lashes fluttered as I peeked my eyes open. I stared blearily across the space our entourage had taken as our temporary camp. People were milling about, tents swirling into a standing position as stakes floated into the appropriate places before they were driven into the ground. Fires in small pits burst to life. Magic seemed to make the whole ordeal faster. Yet, not fast enough, apparently, because even in the short time it took the others to set up camp, I found my eyes closing once more. I sank into Orion’s body and before I knew it, I was dozing lightly—aware and yet also unaware of everything around me.
I felt the shift in the air a moment before my eyes blinked open. Sorrell stood over us, glaring down at me. I grumbled irritably, wondering why Orion wasn’t saying anything, but when I peeked at him, I realized he, too, had fallen asleep. The poor man. I reached up and touched his cheek lightly. He didn’t seem the type to fall asleep out in the open like this. He must’ve been exhausted.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, Changeling,” Sorrell spat in a low voice, reminding me of his presence, “but if you hurt my brothers, I will ensure you regret your very existence.”
I turned my head back to him, letting my palm fall away from Orion’s face. “I’m not trying to pull anything,” I snapped back. “I don’t know why you hate me so much.”
Sorrell’s gaze strayed to Orion before flitting back to me and growing colder. “I do not hate you,” he said, enunciating each word carefully. “I simply don’t trust you.”
Could’ve fooled me, I thought. Instead of voicing that, I tried a different tactic. “If you don’t trust me, why don’t you convince them to drop me somewhere and leave me alone?”
His features tightened. “They are adults,” he said. “They will make their own decisions and their own mistakes.”
“And you think I’m one of those mistakes?” He didn’t immediately reply, but he didn’t have to. I knew the answer. It was there in his expression. I sighed. “I’m not trying to hurt anyone,” I said quietly. “I’m just caught up in all of this. I’m just trying to figure out where I belong.”
“And you think you belong with my court.” His fists clenched.
I shrugged, trying not to shift too much. I didn’t want to wake Orion. If he was tired enough to fall asleep right here then he needed the rest. “I don’t know where I belong yet, but they’re the only ones who seem willing to give me a place here, and I can’t exactly go back to Amnestia.”
Sorrell stared at me, his ice blue eyes losing a little of their coldness. “We’ll see how you feel about them after you enter the Court of Frost,” he said quietly. “I hope, for their sake, you can survive our next endeavor.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that, but even if I had, he didn’t give me an opportunity to. Instead, he turned on his heel and stalked off. What a confusing man. I sighed again and tried to shift out of Orion’s lap so I could stand and stretch my muscles. As I did, two hard hands found my hips and lifted me. I yelped in surprise, whirling as my feet hit the rough, uneven ground. Orion stared at me with eyes that were very much awake. Had he heard that entire exchange?
His eyes found mine as he stood to his full height, towering over me. He nodded over my shoulder. “Come, Changeling,” he said, nudging me forward. Why hadn’t he let Sorrell know that he was awake? “Let’s find Roan.” I guessed we weren’t going to talk about it.
I stared in open-mouthed awe as we strode through the camp that had been set up. The Fae had erected little tents, each separated by several feet. They looked as if only one or two Fae could sleep comfortably in them. How they would manage to house the entirety of our caravan, I had no idea. Orion led me toward one of the structures at the back of camp. He pulled the flap open and stepped back, giving me room to enter. I came to a stop just inside the tent and glanced around. Despite the fact that on the outside it appeared to be no wider than a small room, on the inside, it was a great cavern.
“Wha—how—it’s bigger on the inside!”
Roan turned away from the table he’d been standing at and smirked at me. “Magic, Little Bird,” he said. “Nothing more.”
Nothing more! Nothing freaking more? There was a bed. A real one. It was covered in cushions and silken sheets. How had they managed to do all of this in such a short amount of time? There was no way this could all be an illusion. And because I couldn’t help testing it, I took a running leap and landed against the circular platform bed that dominated the majority of the space. My face smacked into a pillow and I rolled. It didn’t feel like an illusion. It was too soft. I groaned as I rolled over and stared up at the top of the tent. It was quiet. Too quiet. I narrowed my eyes and sat up, looking around.
Roan and Orion weren’t there. What in the world? Where had they gone? Soft voices drifted in through the slightly open door flap. I got off the incredibly comfortable bed and made my way toward it.
“I’m not leaving,” I heard Orion state.
“Neither am I. It’s my tent. She’s sleeping here,” Roan replied.
“Then a compromise is in order. We’ve talked about sharing her, why not—”
“Someone has to keep a lookout,” Roan argued.
“We’re surrounded by other Fae. Sorrell will watch our backs. He always does. I think we can protect her quite well if we’re both with her,” I heard Orion say.
I pushed the flap the rest of the way open and strode between them expectantly. Both sets of eyes fell on me. “Whatcha talkin’ about?” I asked. I knew exactly what they were talking about, but I didn’t like being left out. Since it was obvious they were talking about me, I wanted to be included.
“Nothing, Little Bird. Go back into the tent and enjoy the bed,” Roan said.
“No.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t want you two to fight over who gets to stay with me.”
“We’re not fighting,” Orion said.
“Oh? Then what do you call it?”
“Discussion.” His hand fell on my hip as he turned me back toward the doorway. “Do as Roan says.”
I turned out of his grasp until I faced both of them. “Why don’t you both sleep in the same tent with me?” I asked. “You want to keep an eye on me, right?” They exchanged a look. I growled. “Stop doing that!” Eyes widened as they both frowned at me. I pointed my finger, swinging it between their chests so they knew I was talking to both of them. “I know what you’re doing,” I said. “You’re talking without actually talking. You’re trying to manage me.”
Roan cracked a smile. “Well, you must admit, you’re a female that needs a lot of managing.”
I threw my hands into the air. “You’re just—you’re … ugh!” I turned and stalked back into the tent. I strode back to the bed and flopped down on it.