Page 47 of Run of Ruin

I should remember what Zaffir told me. Don’t believe a word they say. And maybe he was right. Maybe I shouldn’t have believed a thing that came from either of their mouths. But… I did. Or I wanted to. Maybe that was naïve. Maybe it was stupid. Or maybe, I could just read them. They didn’t feel like liars. They felt real. I liked them.

And I think I trusted them.

“Morning,” Briar’s voice came from behind me.

I jolted, heart leaping into my throat.

“Shit, you scared me.”

She smiled, all slow amusement. “Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“You walk so quietly in the woods, it’s either really impressive or really terrifying. I haven’t decided which yet.”

She gave a small chuckle and held out her hand, palm open. Handing me a piece of fruit, deep red and round. Ripe. Juicy.

“Breakfast?” she offered.

I glanced at the fruit, then up at her. “Where’d you find this?”

She stepped over to a stump and dropped down onto it, pulling another one out from her pocket. I joined her.

I noticed then that the camera at her chest was off. I flicked mine off, too. I kind of liked being able to be alone with them. Even just for a little while.

“A lot of this area used to be rich with fruit trees,” she said, turning the fruit over in her hand. “Most of them died out, but there are a few still hanging on. If you know where to look.”

I stared down at the one in my palm, its skin dappled with gold. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d held something this fresh. Have I ever? I didn’t even know what kind of fruit it was. Didn’t know how it would taste.

When I glanced up, Briar was watching me.

“You do that a lot,” I said quietly.

“Do what?”

“Watch me.”

Her lips twitched with a soft smile. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I just… I can’t imagine I’m that interesting to look at.”

That made her laugh, quiet and under her breath, like I’d told a joke without meaning to.

“What?” I asked.

She shook her head slowly. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“About what?”

“How special you are.”

The words landed with a quiet thud in my chest. I looked at her, and she didn’t look away. My breath caught, and I didn’t know what to say. So I bit into the fruit instead.

The taste exploded on my tongue. Tart, sweet, fresh, so fresh it nearly hurt. A moan slipped out before I could stop it. Juice ran down my chin, sticky and sweet, and I turned my head, embarrassed. But when I looked back, Briar’s eyes were on me, hot and dark, like I was something to devour.

I licked the juice from my bottom lip slowly, instinct more than intention. Her gaze tracked the movement. I felt another drop slide down my chin and went to wipe it away, but she beat me to it, her fingers brushing gently across my skin. She caught the juice with her thumb, then raised it to her mouth.

And licked it off.

I stared, stunned and speechless, heat blooming in my chest.

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