The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 518

Liora’s POV

The inn we found in town was in one of the seedier areas of the city, the kind of place where no one would care about royal politics or bounties or who they passed by on the street. It was tucked neatly in between two shops, the small wooden sign over the door so faded I almost missed it.

Inside, Zane paid for a room, keeping his hood up to prevent being recognized—those wanted posters were still hanging all over the city—and then we carefully took Marcus upstairs, where we laid him down on the bed.

Now that we had a chance to rest, I could see his full condition, and it was far worse than I initially thought. He was skinnier than I had ever seen him, covered in cuts and bruises, his back marked with deep gashes that appeared to have been inflicted by a whip.

Although, when I asked as I gently dabbed at the wounds with a warm washcloth, he told me that the wounds were magically inflicted.

“That was the worst part,” he muttered, hissing through his teeth as I carefully dragged the cloth across a particularly deep gash. “I can handle physical torture. It was something I’d trained for in my youth. But seeing a woman barely move her hand, then feeling blood seep through my shirt… It was something no one ever thought to prepare me for.”

My jaw clenched. I looked up, exchanging a glance with Callum. He was leaning against the windowsill, the curtains drawn tightly shut behind him, his arms folded across his chest.

On the other side of the room, Zane was sitting in the only chair with his head hanging, not really seeming to hear any of it.

I finished cleaning Marcus’s wounds, and Callum helped me wrap everything in bandages. After, I helped Marcus lay back down on the bed, propping him up on some pillows. The innkeeper brought up a tray of food that we’d ordered on our way up—soup, crusty bread, sharp cheese.

Marcus ate his serving and mine. I wasn’t hungry, anyway. Zane barely touched his, so Marcus ate that, too. He probably would have scarfed down Callum’s as well, had I not finally put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that indicated that his stomach would explode if he kept gorging himself.

Nodding, he leaned back against the pillows and folded his hands in his lap.

“So,” he said, looking at me. “The three of you look… Well, it isn’t good, is it?”

“I may be able to take back control of the military,” Marcus went on. “But to do that, I would have to get back into the palace without being noticed. And to do that, I’d need a good distraction.”

The look Marcus gave me spoke volumes.

Callum pushed away from the windowsill. “You’re not using Liora as bait,” he said.

I looked at Callum. “If it must be done,” I said, “then I’ll do it. You know I have to.”

Callum’s lips pressed into a thin line. I knew he didn’t want to let me put myself in danger. But he also knew by this point that I would do what was necessary to keep the kingdom safe, and we were running out of options. If this was the only way, then I would do it, and he would just have to accept it.