Page 14 of Shardless

Taly released a muted squeak as she stumbled forward. Trying but ultimately failing to find her footing, she started to fall, helplessly flailing as the ground rushed up to meet her. But instead of finding herself face-down in the dirt, her cheek collided with soft linen. Her eyes scrunched tight, and she braced herself. It seemed today was a day for reunions.

“Hi Skye,” Taly mumbled, her voice muffled in the fabric of his shirt. From the corner of her eye, she could see Sarina’s retreating form disappear around a corner, and she made a mental note not to trust that woman anymore. About anything.

“Hey there, stranger,” Skye said softly. His fingers flexed in the fabric of her coat, steadying her, and for a moment she thought he was going to embrace her. She felt a small pang of disappointment when he didn’t.

When she finally found her feet and pulled away, irritation quickly took the place of disappointment. He looked exactly the same. The same vibrant green eyes. The same lanky, muscled frame. The same pale, flawless skin. Sure, his hair was a little longer, but the dark locks were still just as tousled and unruly as she remembered.

Jerk, she thought petulantly. Really, how was it fair that he looked just as he did the last time they spoke while she probably more closely resembled a half-drowned alley cat than she did a human girl at this point?

Taly forced herself to breathe. To school her expression as she took an awkward step back. She didn’t miss the flicker of pain that flashed across his face. In a blink, it was gone, leaving her to wonder if she’d imagined it.

“So, I see you’re still alive,” Skye teased, breaking what was becoming an uncomfortable silence.

He shifted his weight and ran a hand through his dark hair, revealing the delicate, sharpened point of his ear—as if she needed to be reminded of his parentage. His every feature, his every movementscreamedhighborn. This small group of ruling-class nobility could trace their lineage all the way back to the Faera—the long-dead gods from which all fey were said to be descended. All of the most powerful magic users in this and all other known worlds were highborn. And Skye, known at the Dawn Court as Lord Skylen Emrys, was the heir to one of the oldest,most powerful families on the fey mainland—House Ghislain.

Shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, Taly scuffed the dirt at her feet. “Try not to sound so surprised.”

Skye laughed, easy and relaxed, and a fond smile curved his lips. “I’m not surprised. You were always a lot tougher than you looked.” Hesitating, his expression sobered. “And I’m sorry about the things I said the last time we spoke. I was out of line, and… I didn’t mean any of it. I was worried about you, and I just wanted you to come home.” He shrugged and hung his head sheepishly. “You know how my mouth gets away from me sometimes.”

Taly huffed. She didn’t know what to do with that. He wasn’t supposed to apologize. Seriously, since when did he apologize?

She opened her mouth… and then shut it. She tried again, but still nothing.

And then she saw it—that telltale smirk she knew all too well. He managed to quickly school his expression, but not before she’d already seen through his act.

Taly’s hands clenched into fists.He had always known how to get under her skin and leave her floundering. He wasn’t sorry about what he said. He just wanted to fluster her. Scowling, Taly muttered, “Yeah, well. Mind telling me why you and Sarina decided to ambush me this morning?”

“Ivain has a job for you.”

“I don’t want it,” Taly said abruptly, turning on her heel.

She heard Skye jog after her, so she quickened her pace. He could catch her easily if he had a mind to, but hopefully, he would take the hint and go away.

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, and she instinctively twisted her body and drew her blade in a single, fluid motion. By the time she had managed to process the situation, her knife was already pressed against Skye’s stomach.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Put that thing away before you hurt yourself,” he said, low and cold.

Clenching her teeth, Taly deftly flicked her blade, cutting off one of the gold buttons on his waistcoat and catching it in the palm of her hand. She promptly flung it at his face. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” Once again, she turned to leave.

“Would you just wait?” he called after her, frowning as he pulled at the loose threads on his coat. He sounded more desperate this time. “You don’t even know what the job is.”

Taly rounded on him. “You want me to take you to the Aion Gate. Sarina already made the pitch, and since I’m not really in the mood to take on any guide work at the moment, that doesn’t leave us much to talk about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think we’re done here.” She really shouldn’t have enjoyed how out of sorts he looked. He was almost pouting.

Taly turned to leave again, but he wasn’t done quite yet.

“Would you just come to the manor and talk about it? I promise it’s official Gate Watcher business, and Ivain is willing to pay you good money.” When she paused, he added, “Please,Taly. We’re in a tough spot. Ivain and I haven’t been to the Aion Gate since the last time it opened—almost five years now—and you know how unreliable the roads on the northern part of the island can be. We need a guide, and Sarina says that you’ve been making the trip pretty regularly.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Skye.” Taly kept her back to him but made no further movement to leave.

He sighed and stared at his feet. “It’s your birthday, right? Just come to the house. I’m sure Eliza would make lamb and noodles for dinner. The kind with cream and garlic. Your favorite.”

Taly remained silent. Despite the melancholy and loneliness that still burned deep in her belly, it wasn’t really her birthday—just a random day they had chosen to celebrate every year. Since she couldn’t remember anything from before the fire, she didn’t know when her “real” birthday was.

Still, real or not, she couldn’t deny that it might feel good not to spend the day alone. And it had been a lean month. If there really was a job, she could use the coin.

No!the rational part of her mind screamed.No, no, no…

Going back to the manor just wasn’t a good idea. She had worked too hard trying to separate herself from her old life to walk right back into it. She needed to walk away. And she would.

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