Page 29 of Tik-Tok

Rizmaela was dead. The dwarf shouldn’t have tried to murder her for something she hadn’t done. But North’s father had taken someone important from her in the past...

Tin had never hidden his past from North, not once. She knew what he’d done when he was cursed, when his heart was stone. About kills he’d done for money, and how he’d brought her mother to Oz and had planned to take her to Langwidere so the obsessive female could wear her head. North had been horrified for days, but it hadn’t made her love him any less. It only proved how far he’d come since then.

But even though she understood his past, it didn’t mean the families he’d destroyed could forgive him.

“What are you thinking about?” Tik-Tok knelt so he was eye-to-eye with her, his scarlet irises shining brightly, reflecting the sun’s rays that spilled in through the window.

North should have been fearful of that bloody shade, but she only wanted to inch closer, and see the flecks of silver in them.

Shaking off the thought, she flicked her gaze away and lied. “Birch.”

“Ah”—Tik-Tok stood and folded his arms—“you still love him.”

North would rather talk about that than other things, like Tik-Tok’s eyes or the nightmare she’d had about Rizmaela. As for Birch, she’d been in love with him for years, but perhaps that love was meant to fade more easily because it was unrequited, while their friendship was like iron. Over the past few days, she hadn’t thought of him or her family much, not while training with Tik-Tok before collapsing into her bed from exhaustion after the long sessions.

“As family.” She sighed, pressing a hand to her chest where it still ached from the wound. Her fingers traced the raised scar, finding it smoother than she would have expected.

Tik-Tok nodded, his expression unreadable. “We should get back to the ship. Either I can carry you, or I can retrieve Respen from the shop across the street. He’s picking up a few extra things before we leave.”

“I can walk.”

“You’re not walking.” Tik-Tok plucked up a long piece of fabric from the back of a wooden chair. He held it up with a smirk, letting the fabric unravel—a dress—hideous. “Respen got this for you. An improvement from your latest choices, don’t you think?”

North scanned the bright orange clothing, the different sized beads and jewels covering its entirety, the high-collared neckline. “It’s, um…” She chuckled, and the movement made her scar throb.

“I can help you change into it if you want,” he said in a low, teasing voice.

“I’ll be fine.”

“No clever comeback?” Tik-Tok grinned as he handed her the dress. “Where’s my star hiding?”

“Go get Respen. I’m not going to let you carry me.” She rolled her eyes.

He nodded, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.As she stood from the bed, her body felt like it hadn’t been used in months. She twisted to the side, then stretched and shook out her arms and legs. An unpleasant smell wafted from her body—blood, sweat, and grime.

The dress skimmed the floor after she threw it on, and the material seemed to scratch away a layer of her skin, but it would do for the time being. The door squeaked open, drawing her gaze to Tik-Tok. She hadn’t noticed before, but, for the first time, his hair didn’t appear as silky as usual and purple circles underlined his eyes.

“Can’t you knock?” North cocked her head.

“Ican, actually.”

“That’s unproven.” Respen pushed past Tik-Tok and entered the room.

“How are the others?” North asked, wishing she could see Echo’s face.

“They’ve been watching the ship.” Tik-Tok stepped beside her while Respen stood in front of them.

Respen scanned her over. “Are you going to be all right if I use my magic now?”

She remembered the last time Respen had used his power on her, and how she’d felt as if she’d been riding backward on a stag, consumed with nausea. How there had been nothing beneath her feet, her body filled with the rush of falling. North grasped Tik-Tok’s hand without thinking, perhaps because she wanted something to ground her for the short journey.

Tik-Tok peered down at their joined hands and arched a brow. She started to pull her hand away, but he gripped it firmly. Her body relaxed into his touch.

“Close your eyes,” Respen said. “It will be easier that way.”

As soon as she closed her lids, Respen’s hand curled around her shoulder. Not a second passed before the spinning started, and she felt like she was plunging into the darkest pits of Oz. She clenched Tik-Tok’s hand so tightly that she feared she would break every single bone in it. And then the world stilled, but her body continued to sway like a flower in the wind.

“You can open your eyes now,” Tik-Tok whispered.

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