watching to make sure it burned. I’d done my job, and the rest of the mail would go out. There would be no place to put blame, and who knew how many lives would be spared?
There’d been enough death, enough pain.
I walked away, washing my hands of it all. True justice would come eventually, to whomever was right or wrong in that situation. Because just now, it was hard to tell.
Back in my room, I tore into my letter, eager to hear from home. I didn’t like Mom being without me. It was a small comfort that I could send her money, but I always worried for my family’s safety.
It seemed the feeling was mutual.
I know you love her. But don’t be stupid.
Of course she was two steps ahead of me, guessing things without prompting. She knew about America before I told her, knew how angry I was about things when I’d never said a word. And here she was, a country away, warning me to not do what she was positive I would.
I stared at paper. The king looked to be in the middle of a vicious streak, but I was sure I could keep out of his grasp. And my mother had never steered me wrong, but she didn’t know how good I was at my job. I ripped the letter up and dropped it in the furnace on my way to meet America.
CHAPTER 5
I HAD TIMED IT PERFECTLY . If America made it within the next five minutes, no one would be aware of either of us. I knew what I was risking, but I couldn’t stay away from her. I needed her.
The door creaked open then quickly shut. “Aspen?”
I’d heard her voice like that so often before. “Just like old times, eh?”
“Where are you?” I stepped from behind the curtain and heard her draw in a breath. “You startled me,” she said playfully.
“Wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last.”
America was many things, but stealthy wasn’t one of them. As she tried to meet me in the middle of the room, she hit a sofa, two side tables, and tripped over the edge of a rug. I didn’t want to make her nervous, but she really needed to be more careful.
“Shhh! The entire palace is going to know we’re in here if you keep pushing things over,” I whispered, more teasing than warning.
She giggled. “Sorry. Can’t we turn on a light?”
“No.” I moved into a more direct path for her. “If someone sees it shining under the door, we might get caught. This corridor isn’t checked a lot, but I want to be smart.”
She finally reached me, and everything in the world felt better the second I touched her skin. I held her for a second before ushering her to the corner.
“How did you even know about this room?”
I shrugged. “I’m a guard. And I’m very good at what I do. I know the entire grounds of the palace, inside and out. Every last pathway, all the hiding spots, and even most of the secret rooms. I also happen to know the rotations of the guards, which areas are usually the least checked, and the points in the day when the guards are at their fewest. If you ever want to sneak around the palace, I’m the guy to do it with.”
In a single word, she was incredulous and proud. “Unbelievable.”
I gave her a gentle tug, and she sat with me, the tiny scrap of moonlight barely making her visible. She smiled before turning serious.
“Are you sure this is safe?” I knew she was seeing Woodwork’s backside and Marlee’s hands, thinking about the shame and loss that would be waiting if we were discovered. And that was if we were lucky. But I had faith in my skills.
“Trust me, Mer. An extraordinary number of things would have to happen for someone to find us here. We’re safe.”
The doubt didn’t leave her eyes, but when I wrapped an arm around her, she fell into me, needing this moment as much as I did.
“How are you doing?” It was nice to finally ask.
Her sigh was so heavy it rattled me. “Okay, I guess. I’ve been sad a lot, and angry.” She didn’t seem to realize that her hand had instinctively gone to the patch of skin just above my knee, the exact place