“She’s mine!” he seethed, veins popping from his neck and sputum flying from his lips. There it was. The beast who lay beneath the lies.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let her leave with you.” Lina’s fist silenced his protest, one blow, then another. “I knew it in my gut and I didn’t do anything about it.” His head flopped to the side, unconscious, but she didn’t stop. “I should have done more to protect my people. My mistakes could kill them.”

She rained her fury down upon him, punishing him for every ounce of guilt burning in her soul. It wasn’t about Meson anymore; it was about Lina and the momentous undertaking of ruling a kingdom.

Bri grabbed Lina’s cloak and hauled her backward, but Lina fought against Bri, scrambling to land another punch even as she stumbled away.

“Enough.” Bri slammed Lina against the far wall, pulling her hood back. Bri’s forearm pinned Lina to the wall as she stared her down. “Breathe.”

She knew Lina could easily escape the hold, but the Princess didn’t move, her storming eyes boring into Bri’s. Admiration bloomed in Bri as she watched the Princess regain control. She was so powerful, so mighty, but she also clearly cared so deeply about her people that any of their suffering she’d feel within herself.

The fire faded from Lina’s eyes, her gaze dropping to Bri’s panting lips as she slowed her breathing. It was strange how anger and lust seemed sometimes one and the same. They should be opposites, but they both stoked a fire—two warring flames. She smelled the sweet tang of Lina’s breath on her cheek, sparking a blaze within her. The urge to close the distance between them was overwhelming, the need to know what those full lips felt like upon her own strong. Bri’s heart thundered with adrenaline and desire.

The owner of the gambling hall stumbled in, surveying the room, the unconscious man, and up toward them. Bri pushed away the second the door cracked, stepping into the center of the room, and Lina quickly yanked her hood back up.

“Did you get what you’re looking for?” he asked in a thick Southern Court accent.

Bri shook her head. “Yes and no.”

She needed to know more about these seeds, but Meson seemed more like an errand boy than a true member of the witch hunters’ organization. His knowledge was probably limited to what he’d already told them, if that was even true.

“What are you planning on doing with him?” Lina tipped her hood toward Meson.

“He owes more than he’ll ever repay. The best thing he can be now is a lesson to the others.” The owner’s eyes darkened and he flashed a crooked grin. “I’d ask that you don’t intervene. People who wrong me have a way of disappearing.”