Valkyrie's Sacrifice (Academy of Immortals 3)

“It’s the outlier, which means he probably had an ulterior motive. We all knew it was a possibility.”

I nod. Armin is probably right. I allow my emotions to get in the way with Marshal. He makes my blood boil with anger and my belly to ignite with lustful desire. I find him distressingly appealing and also unworthy of my attention. But this isn’t about affection—it’s about winning this war, and if I need Marshal for that, I can do it.

“We should go tell the others what we learned.”

We finish dressing and check our allies’ rooms. They’re empty, and we head down to the dining area. Luke and Elizabeth alone sit at a table, empty bowls in front of them.

“Porridge,” Elizabeth says, wrinkling her nose. “Do you want some?”

“No. Where’s Marshal?” I ask, eager to see him. It’s time to settle this strife between us once and for all—especially before we enter the next circle.

“In his room?” Elizabeth asks, hands on her the coffee cup in front of her. “Is he not?”

I shake my head. “We looked.”

She and Luke exchange a look.

“What?” Armin asks, pouring himself a cup of the dark black liquid.

“After helping you take Armin upstairs last night,” Luke says, “he came back down in a pretty pissy mood. Drank the rest of the bar under the table and flirted with that waitress all night.”

My jaw clenches. Gods, he can’t go one fucking night.

Armin swallows his drink and heads to the stairs, saying, “Let me check again.”

We wait in uneasy apprehension until he returns with loud footsteps on the stairs. “He’s not in his room.” His eyes flick to mine. “It doesn’t look like he slept in his bed."

The waitress from the night before chooses that moment to walk through the swinging door that leads to the kitchen. I stride over and brace myself for the answers to the questions I’m about to ask. “Have you seen Marshal? Like, is he still in your bed?”

She gives me a wild look and then laughs. “As hard as I tried, that handsome one didn’t spend the night in my bed.”

Hmm.

“Then where did he go?”

“You’ve got me. I left him down here, passed out on the bar after closing. I figured he’d sleep it off and be here in the morning. He’s not in his room?”

“No. No sign he ever went in there,” Armin replies. He glances at Luke. “You say he was mad after coming downstairs?”

“Angry. Not sure if it was with himself or someone else.”

“A little of both,” the waitress answers. “Seems he feels the need to prove himself to someone—a woman, I reckon.”

Everyone in the room, including the waitress, looks in my direction.

“Hildi, did you and Marshal argue last night?” Armin asks.

“No more than usual,” I reply, but it’s not true. He’d asked about the rings, and I told him outright that I didn’t trust him, that I thought he was in it to save his hide. A traitor. I inhale deeply. “It’s possible I set him off.”

“Shit,” Luke mutters, rubbing his face. “So we’re down another ally.”

“We don’t know that he is an ally,” I snap back. “This may be proof that he isn’t.”

“Or proof that he is,” Elizabeth declares.

“We’re better off,” I say. “Taking off like this is exactly why I don’t trust him.” I look at my remaining allies. “Anyone else plan on betraying us? Because if you do, now is the time to do it.”

“Fuck no,” Elizabeth says, in a rare outburst of cursing. “I’ve finally found my people—my calling. The King and Queen of Talamh chose me for a reason. They’ve fought hard for my realm, and I’m not about to let them down.”