Peeta

The last thing he expected when he woke up that morning was to find Lady Everdeen upright and pointing his own bow and arrow at him. He halted in his tracks just outside his tent. He'd been intending to bathe by the lake before relieving Thresh from the morning watch along the main road—everyone rotated this duty, not so much to look out for danger, but to spot wagons carting potential swagger.

But there was the girl, weapon quaking in her hands. Her stance and grip were horrible. If he wasn't worried about her intentions, he might have found this moment, this girl, incredible. She wasn't very big. Or particularly pretty. Her scowl, however, he liked very much. That and her daring, her selflessness, which he hadn't expected when he first laid eyes on her. Those things made her stunning.

Self-revulsion rattled through him for thinking this way. For allowing her to churn his senses, proving that he hadn't learned a thing from the last time he'd gotten distracted by a girl. And this one had an arrow clumsily pointed at him. If she had the gall to release it, she would turn out a very messy shot and injure herself in the process.

How in the hell had she gotten out of the binding?

He still felt guilty about leaving her there all night, even though he had no reason to feel thus. He wasn't sure he believed her story about being forced to marry Seneca Crane. For all Peeta knew, she was madly in love with the moron. For all Peeta knew, Lady Everdeen was loyal to Snow. Guess he was about to find out.

Again. How in the hell had she gotten out of the binding?

"Impressive," he said, crossing his arms. "But can you shoot?"

"From this distance I'm sure I can hit something important."

The corners of his mouth lifted. He could, he would, take her down easy. Bow or no bow. He was faster than she gave him credit for.

All at once, she dropped the weapon. Peeta blinked in surprise.

"What the..." Finnick said behind him.

Gale and Johanna came out of their tents at the same time, both rendered speechless. Johanna jolted toward Lady Everdeen, but Peeta immediately shook his head in warning, and Gale held her back.

Peeta regarded the girl wearily. "If you run, I'll catch you."

That didn't impress her. "I could have run hours ago, but I didn't."

"Because...?" he asked, drawing out the question.

She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling and doing magnificent things to neckline of her dress. "I want to join your group."

Johanna was the first to react. She laughed. Loud and obnoxious as usual.

Gale clamped a hand over her mouth, and she went nuts. She hated being restrained as much as he did. In that regard, they were very much alike.

Peeta retrieved his weapons, watching the girl cautiously as he bent down and straightened again. There was no way in Hades their band would permit another person into their circle, particularly one with an upbringing above and beyond their own. She was of noble blood. She was fooling herself.

She was hiding something from them. Based on the creases in Gale and Johanna's faces, they'd drawn the same conclusion. Apparently, history was repeating itself by thrusting yet another female into Peeta's path, hoping to massage his trust into submission until the right moment when the girl could get her talons into him. Into his group.

Maybe this girl was masterminding a scheme to lure them into Snow's grasp. How she was planning to do this without outside help was up for debate. But being Seneca's property, and the future daughter-in-law of a diabolical man like the king, it was best not to underestimate her.

"Explain," he said, curious to know what excuse she'd come up with.

Lady Everdeen seemed discouraged but pushed ahead. "There's a shipment arriving in a week to the palace. It's worth enough to support every soul in Panem for a year."

Peeta wanted to strangle her on the spot. Of all sources of manipulation, she was going to use starving people. She was going to target their greatest vulnerability as a means to ensnare his band. There was no doubt now. She had to have been lying about her own neighbors in The Seam, the ones she claimed to be helping by marrying Seneca. She wouldn't formulate this sort of plan if it were a truly sensitive subject for her, if her people were really going through the same turmoil as the villagers of Panem.

"This is a joke?" he asked.

Lady Everdeen frowned. "You won't be able to intercept the shipment on the road. It's being transported underground. I don't know where the passage starts, but I know where in the palace it ends. I know how the guards operate. I know how Snow operates. I know the process, where the shipment will be stashed, the castle's weak spots. My friend, Rue, can help if we let her know—"

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why would you help us?"

Gale roared, his hand launching from Johanna's mouth and fisting in pain. She'd bitten him and wasted no time adding to the question. "He means, what's in it for you, you little—"

"I don't want to be married to Seneca," Lady Everdeen said simply. "I never did. This will get me out of it. As long as I accquire a portion of the wealth for The Seam. That's the deal."

"So you're not asking us to kill the prince for you?" Johanna flared.

Lady Everdeen gaped. "I'm—I'm not a murderer."

"Snow might retaliate against your family for your disloyalty," Peeta pointed out.

"Yes, he would. If he knew I was working with you. I can keep my face hidden the way you do when we cross into the castle, you can send him a message that you killed me. He'll want nothing to do with The Seam after that. He won't even know its people have come into riches. I can let my family in on the truth later, once it's safe, but I'll have to stay away from them after that."

"And that would be worth it?"

"If it keeps them fed and me free, then yes."

This made so much sense that it actually gave Peeta pause. She might be telling the truth. Who would want to be married to Seneca? The prince was a pig widely rumored to have appetites that leaned toward masochistic. He was just as cruel as his father, only his cruelty existed inside a much younger, stronger, more energetic body. Still, trust wasn't handed out merely because the motivation seemed plausible.

"What's in this shipment?" Finnick asked.

Peeta shot him a look. Why was Finnick was humoring the girl?

She hesitated. "A pendant that will make my ring look like a pebble."

Fact or falsehood? Real or not real?

"And gold," she continued. "But you'll have to disperse the riches slowly over time, not all at once or Snow will notice the villagers living beyond their means."

Peeta was insulted. He didn't need this girl telling him how to take care of his own people.

"You must think we're stupid," he said finally.

Lady Everdeen flinched. He enjoyed watching her flinch. Matter of fact, he enjoyed her discomfort far too much.

"I do if you think your alternative is better," she dared. "You were planning to pawn my life for a bounty from Snow, right?"

It was Peeta's turn to flinch. She scoffed. "It's a lost cause. Snow may coddle his son, but if you've been paying any attention you'd know the king is not that sentimental. Not when saving me would mean he'd have to cave under the demands of Peeta Mellark. He wouldn't tuck his tail between his legs so publicly, especially to Panem's most notorious renegade. He'd just as soon let you kill me."

Peeta clenched his teeth. She was right.

"I guess we'll have to kill you, then," Johanna sang.

"Or trust me," Lady Everdeen said.

He pretended to give it some thought, then said, "No."

A bevy of emotions flitted across her face before she settled on one that seemed to cause her pain, and a flash of something else he couldn't identify. She lifted her sleeve and unwound a plain corded bracelet from her wrist, taking her time as if this action required ceremony. She stared at the bracelet and then stepped toward Gale, holding it out to him.

Gale's brows pinched. A silent communication—an understanding—stirred between them that Peeta had no chance of translating.

"Give this to him," she said to Gale.

Eons went by before he turned to Peeta and dropped the bracelet in his palm.

"She's telling the truth," Gale said.

"A bracelet?" Johanna demanded. "Oh, how reassuring. We don't have anything to worry about."

Lady Everdeen looked away while Peeta thumbed the braided leather, so light in his hand. Rough and delicate at the same time. This bracelet meant something to her.

Gale explained its value, how people from his region were raised to give all of themselves through these bracelets, to profess their absolute devotion. Handing them over was like handing over a shred of one's own skin, one's faith, one's word, one's promise, one's character.

It wasn't enough to change Peeta's mind, but it was enough to appease him. He was about to ask Finnick to tie her up again while they convened as a group, but then a familiar whistling tune road the current to their camp, carried to them by the mocking birds nesting in the trees.

Their signal. A message from Thresh. He'd spotted a carriage worth robbing.

The group grabbed their weapons, then glanced at Peeta, waiting for his instruction. To Johanna's outrage, he swiped her ax and tossed it to the ground, ordered her to watch their prisoner, then took off with the boys, Johanna's curses trailing behind them.

kpkpkpkpkp

Katniss

Johanna grabbed me to tie me back up, but after two steps, once I was sure she wasn't expecting it, I used a move little Rue once taught me. I snaked my leg around hers and brought us both tumbling to the ground. I landed on top of her, grabbed her axe, and pressed it against her neck.

Her face boiled with rage. "I knew it," she squawked. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew—"

"We're going after them." I stood and motioned with the axe for her to get up. "Show me the way or I'll...I'll cut you."

"You'll have to cut me, then."

I admired her loyalty.

"I could do that, and then take off, and lead Snow back here to your friends. You may have blindfolded me, but there are other ways of marking the woods."

She paled.

"Which is it?" I said.

"Why do you want to follow them?"

"Apparently, I'll have to prove myself to you lot. I can't do that tied to a tree. Of course, I got free once before. I can do it again," I bluffed.

I hated doing this to her, but unfortunately I didn't have time to ease into their group. I had only a week. I needed to gain their trust fast. Helping them in any way I could while ambushing another transport seemed like a good way. I hoped I was right. I wasn't accustomed to relying purely on instinct.

Johanna glowered at me, battling with her instinct. She could fight me for the axe, but my sneaky ways must have convinced her not to misjudge my abilities. Grunting, she got up, dusted herself off, and stormed ahead of me while I continued to poke her with my far-too-heavy weapon. She mounted her horse and helped me up behind her.

"Remember," I said, gripping the axe. "If you knock me off this animal, I will find my way to the palace, and I'll memorize every tree branch on the way. I'm fluent in forests. Back in The Seam, it's my happy place."

I sensed Johanna rolling her eyes as she dug her heels into the horse and sent it flying.

kpkpkpkpkp

We reached the group just in time to see Peeta shoot the reigns out of the coach driver's hands. Finnick, Gale, and Thresh unleashed on the guards. Judging from the model of the vehicle, I divined the travelers to be members of the aristocracy.

Johanna hid in the bushes, her anger at me shifting to eagerness. I'd counted on that. Forcing her into the forefront of the action, I'd tapped into her long-awaited desire to finally play a part. She wore the same expression Prim did whenever she was about to sink her teeth into a piece of cake, which didn't happen often.

Wordlessly, I handed Johanna her axe. She took it without thinking. "Those were empty threats back there, weren't they?"

"I told you I wanted to help. Your axe is quite heavy, by the way."

She smirked. "I still don't trust you."

"Understood. But we can't leave now."

A battle cry caught our attention. Who knew such a sound could erupt from Thresh's mouth? He dove into a sword fight with one of the guards while Finnick apprehended a rotund, bewigged, and bejeweled man inside the coach, stripping him of his gems.

Johanna let out a screech as another guard swung his weapon in the air, ready to slash Gale across the back unbeknownst to him. Before either of us could react, Peeta was there. It happened in slow motion for me. He galloped ahead and bounded over a fallen log, agile as a cat, lifting his bow and shooting while still in the air. The arrow sailed straight through a tunnel of arms and weapons.

The guard went down before Peeta's feet hit the ground. I expelled a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

Johanna crashed into the scene, hurrying toward Gale, ramming the butt of her ax into an assailant's stomach on her way, then spinning around and taking out another man about to pummel Thresh. Her speed and artistry were something fierce to behold.

I focused on Finnick searching the interior of the coach for booty while the fat aristocrat quivered in his seat, hands bound. Finnick wasn't looking in the right place. Some carriages were equipped with secret built-in compartments to hide riches. Our carriage hadn't had one, but I had seen them before. I ran toward the vehicle, hoping to come to Finnick's aid.

Peeta choose that precise moment to knock a warrior unconscious and then whip around, his blue eyes locking onto mine and narrowing, paralyzing me on the spot.

We stared at each other. Was he furious? Shocked? Did I care?

Movement to his left caught my attention—a sword raising, the blade flashing like an angry face, and I envisioned it carving through him, his blood seeping into the soil, creating a Peetaless world. My legs cut across the space, sprinting so fast I could have been one of his arrows. I dove for the shield teetering on the chest of the limp warrior at Peeta's feet.

Shoving Peeta out of my way, I grabbed the shield and swung it upward, squeezing my eyes shut. The sword collided against the safeguard, the impact pounding me into the ground. Something sharp tore through my arm, causing a monstrous sound to rip from my lungs. The earth split and lost all shape and dissolved beneath me.

kpkpkpkpkp

The first thing I heard was Johanna and Gale barking at each other.

"He told you to watch her!"

"Jesus. She had an axe pointed at my neck. What the hell was I supposed to do?"

"You didn't have to get in the way. I was doing fine without you!"

"If I hadn't been there to rib that guard, you and your tall tanned ass would be fastened to the road right now."

"My what would be where?"

"It was a clean raid!"

"Define clean!"

"The only man who died was about to kill you. We got the goods, didn't we? We got out of there before they knew what hit them, but nooooooo. No thanks to us. We did you boys a favor. Hell, I despise the girl, but even she saw that sword coming before Peeta did. He'd be missing a head right now because he wasn't paying attention!"

"Only because she distracted him!"

"Since when does Peeta Mellark get distracted, numskull?"

"Listen, halfwit—"

"Halfwhat!?"

A sharp whistling stopped them, followed by Finnick's voice. "I do believe our lady is waking up."

The camp came into focus, followed by a bunch of gaping faces, all highlighted by the midday sun filtering through the forest. They'd tucked me into a pallet of blankets beside the unlit fire pit.

My gaze skipped over to the figure leaning against a tree. Peeta tensed, arrested in the act of studying me, his expression admiring and confused and...concerned. I rolled over and groaned, clutching my arm, which was wrapped in cloth and spotted with blood.

Peeta crouched down next to me. "How's the wound?"

"You tell me," I gulped.

He almost grinned, and I found myself straining toward the very possibility of that grin.

Until he leaned back. "You blocked most of that sword."

"Most of it?"

"Most of it," he confirmed, then jerked his chin toward Thresh, who sat across from us cutting up leaves. "Thresh gave you a salve for infection. It stopped the bleeding, too."

I thought of yesterday, when I'd noticed the quiet young man grinding something into a mortar. "Thank you," I said to him.

He inclined his head toward me and resumed his work.

"My sister is fascinated by healing herbs," I said. "You'd be her hero."

His features sagged in amusement, color popping into his dark cheeks.

"You're a very dumb girl," Peeta declared.

"I second that," Johanna said from her corner of the camp.

"You're welcome," I said.

Again, that almost-smile. So boyish. So endearing. Composed of a thousand things, the sorts of things people appreciated about the world. Like child's-play and dessert and horizons and holidays and song and folktales and friendship and inventions and quiet evenings.

I must have taken a terrible blow to the head.

"I won't forget what you did," Peeta murmured.

"Good."

Finnick chuckled, stretching his arms above his head. "I like her."

"What about the rest of you?" Peeta asked, still staring at me.

Johanna and Gale crossed their arms and shrugged.

"A trial," Thresh said, concentrating on the fragments of leaves that he dropped into a bowl on his lap.

"A trial basis," Peeta echoed. His expression caused a whirlpool of foreign sensations in my stomach. I didn't care for them one bit. "You touch a weapon without my say, or go anywhere without one of us, and I'll hang you in a net twenty feet off the ground."

All business. I was more comfortable with that. Still, I couldn't help teasing just to see what his reaction would be.

"Will you still feed me bread?" I asked.

His lips twitched. "Now tell us all about that shipment Snow's expecting."


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