Page 66 of The Girl in the Forest

My voice trembled. “I need to tell you—”

“Not yet.”

Grayson tugged me against his chest. His face pressed against the side of my head, his hands stroking, gentle, rhythmic, sliding up and down my back until the tension ebbed. The beat of his heart was steady beneath my cheek. The pressure building in my veins turned silvery and then faded—and I cherished the gift he had. The gift all dread lords had, to use their dark power to ease the queens. Give them blessed relief.

Another burden between us, my dependence upon him. I hated that I’d added to it by insisting we come here, when we were no closer to the goal. We still had no way to read the book. Alpen rebels offered shelter, but for how long?

I could see Grayson’s tight shoulders. His face was pale and strained enough to recognize the past few hours had been as draining for him as they’d been for me.

Exhaustion was a weight pressing down on both of us, and I said, “If you’re telling me you don’t want to know—”

“I’m telling you that if you let that quilt droop a little more, I’ll stop breathing.”

His voice was raw with fatigue—but also a dark humor—and I yanked the quilt upward even though the drag of material irritated my nerves. I was reacting to nothing more than the aftermath of the witches—or whatever entity had been in that cave. The power struggle we’d maintained over the last week only aggravated the tension between us, and I stepped away. But I couldn’t get far, not when Grayson’s presence shrank the space. One room, with the fireplace, a sturdy table and chairs. Windows. A single bed.

No privacy.

I told myself I could handle him. This situation. We wouldn’t be here that long—maybe long enough to dash to the privy, eat something. Then be on our way.

Needing normalcy, I asked, “What did Jodan want to know?”

“He’d heard about the attack on Azul and wanted to know about the creatures, how we fought back.”

“Have they seen creatures here?”

“Not yet. But he’s worried about that passage opening and closing. It wasn’t the first occurrence. And rebels from Cariboo tell stories he wasn’t ready to believe. I told him to use the weapons he has, kill from a distance whenever possible. We thought the enemy used passages, sending the creatures through. He promised to strengthen his wards, set multiple wards at greater distances as an early warning system. Since the Gathering, he said other rebel groups had formed against the Alpen, and everyone was on edge. If they need to evacuate on short notice, I said he should use the smuggler tunnels. Get his people out and worry about fighting after they’re safe.”

I felt dull, unable to think. “I should get dressed.”

“Not yet. I meant it about healing you. I want to check what Old Mae did.”

My lips twisted and I plucked at the quilt, the red square at the corner. “She covered me with a salve that stinks like a bog—in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I’ve noticed.”

I glared and his smile flashed. “The salve works against infections, but not much else. So I’ll still look.”

His voice had deepened, settled into neutral, a healer interested only in an ailment and not the patient. I struggled against reacting. Having his hands on me while I was stiff and defensive was bad enough, but I smelled like something that should be left alone.

Bending my head, I waited while Grayson parted the strands of my hair, probing gently the way Old Mae had done. And each time his fingers brushed my skin, an answering tug pulled from deep in my chest. I pressed an unsteady hand against the sensation. When a hint of amusement tapped at the back of my mind, I shifted restlessly.

“Do you believe in the curse of the kings?” I asked. “That they’re destined to hunt failles?”

His fingers continued to press at my scalp, but he said nothing.

I took a long time tracing the quilt designs, then twisted around until I could see his face. “Do you believe in fate, Grayson?”

His touch was like rough satin, warm against my skin. His expression never changed. “None of this is your fault, Noa.”

And yet, what I saw in his eyes. I sat, frozen but burning at the same time.

“Do you… believe… in fate?”

His eyes closed, and he turned away as a furious pounding rattled the door. He swung the door open, letting the weather in while Adriel stood on the threshold, signing frantically.

“Get dressed,” Grayson ordered as he motioned the girl inside and out of the streaming rain. “We have to leave.”

CHAPTER 18

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