She waggled her eyebrows, and my face began to heat.
Of course.
Tavlor.
I cleared my throat. “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,” I said, deciding to focus on that part and not the part of him having to leave. This was the longest we had been with each other since I had been forced to run away. “He’s only here to make sure I got home safely. He works for the Council.”
Tavlor tensed. I wasn’t sure if it was because he would rather have kept that information between us or not. Regardless, it was as I told him: my sisters knew everything about me.
Bella quirked one eyebrow and rested her gaze on Tavlor. I couldn’t tell if there was wariness or judgment there. She seemed like she was trying to figure him out.
“If he works for the Council... shouldn’t he be turning you in for the reward?” she asked.
Damn their quick thinking!
“Well, he’s the head guard assigned to the High Warlock, so our father’s orders are superseding the Council at the moment,” I said. This was a complete guess, of course. I had no idea what the laws were and what Tavlor had to follow. I glanced over at him. “Am I right?”
I turned towards him. He was still looking between my sisters, a smile lighting up his face as though this whole ordeal was amusing to him.
“Yes,” he said, “if the Council found out I was hiding Ava, then I would be punished also.”
“Yeah, and with his hybrid status, they’re looking for any excuse to punish him,” I put in. I ignored the look his was giving me. I understood he didn’t want me sharing so much, but if anyone was going to get us through this, it was going to be my sisters. With all of us together, we could figure out anything.
“How?” Courtney asked, her words breathy.
“More than likely, I would be tried and convicted for Treason also,” he said, finally looking away from me. He said it so matter of factly.
Bella coughed. “And the punishment is death?” she asked. Her voice was wary. “You’re willing to die... for Ava?”
The question hung in the air like a weighted knife over a chopping block.
My cheeks turned red, pinching with embarrassment. I couldn’t believe Bella would ask him that. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel as though I wanted to know the answer as well. I held my breath, part of me, a large part of me, wanting to know the answer.
We hadn’t really discussed the nature of our relationship. Of course, I trusted him more than anything and anyone, save for my sisters. But that didn’t mean he felt the same way about me. Maybe he just liked the way I looked. Maybe he didn’t want me to die but also didn’t want to get into something serious with a wanted woman.
I didn’t know.
But I hoped.
“Of course.” His voice was so nonchalant, as though of course I was worth the risk. It made me feel silly for doubting him, but it also made me feel treasured.
My heart leapt and my stomach tightened, and it took all of my strength not to respond visibly. I cleared my throat and looked away. I could feel my sister’s looking at me. Courtney was grinning from ear to ear while Bella was more reserved with her response.
Then, he continued, “She is, after all, the Heir to the Council, and the High Warlock. It is my duty to protect her.”
The exquisite feeling of hope that had clung to my heart, dropped away. Now it made sense why he was so nonchalant about everything. The thought that he would be willing to fight for me, to die for me, wasn’t personal. Instead, it was something that he felt obligated to do, not necessarily because he wanted to, but because he had to.
Lovely.
Bella’s gaze went straight to me and I struggled not to openly show my pain. I didn’t need them feeling sorry for me over a guy when there was much more going on.
“See, I told you.” I forced myself to shrug. The movement felt stiff. “He’s only here to make sure I got home safely.”
I pushed myself to my feet, my heart aching with the betrayal I could barely fathom. I knew we weren’t together, but I thought, at least I had hoped...
Was the kiss nothing to him? Was that part of his duty as well?
Just because you thought there was something between you two, doesn’t mean it’s true, I reminded myself.