Page 58 of Thorns & Fire
‘Why?’she challenged.‘Are you jealous?’
Yes, he was fucking jealous.Of coursehe was jealous.Darian fucking Devereux had sought Wren out in the library.Darian fucking Devereux had kissed her hand.His filthy lips had touched her skin.
But before he could answer, Wren forged on.‘Or perhaps this is just another secret you intend to keep from me?You have plenty of those, don’t you, Warsword?’She was tense in her saddle, her eyes scanning him rapidly, searching, assessing.
Torj didn’t know what was going on with her, but if he wanted Wren to heed his warning, he had to be honest.He had to relive the past.‘Devereux and I have a complicated history.’
‘That much was obvious.’
Torj raked his fingers through his hair, trying to gather himself before he delved back into things he’d rather forget.A small mercy was that Dessa and Kipp had well and truly fallen behind.
‘We were childhood friends, alright?’He couldn’t bring himself to look at Wren as he spoke, instead focusing on the road ahead.‘Darian was the son of a nobleman, and my mother was a maid in their manor.’
Torj’s throat grew tight at the mention of his mother, the words heavy on his tongue.The memory of her sent a familiar ache through his chest, and he gripped the reins tighter, steadying himself.He had told Wren of her fate a few months ago, so she was aware of the darkness lingering there.She was the only person he’d ever told, and he felt her gaze on him at last, her silence urging him to continue.
‘When my mother worked, she took me with her, so that I wasn’t around my father.Darian was around the same age, and his mother insisted that I play with him.She said it was good for her son to meet people from all walks of life and that I may as well take advantage of his tutors.She was a good woman.’From the corner of his eye, he saw Wren’s expression soften.
‘So you grew up together...’she ventured softly, watching him closely.
Torj nodded, the memories flooding back.‘We explored the forests together as boys, took classes together, got into more scrapes than I can count...Darian was like a brother to me.It was thanks to the Devereux stable master that I arrived at Thezmarr knowing how to ride a horse.’Torj took a deep breath and swallowed hard.‘Despite our differences in social standing, we had very similar upbringings...Where my father used fists, Darian’s father used words, and sometimes I don’t know who bled more.’
He risked a glance at Wren, catching the sympathy in her eyes.It made his chest tighten in a way he wasn’t ready to examine.
Her throat bobbed.‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
Torj had told her once before he didn’t want her pity.He forced a shrug.‘It’s in the past now.’
‘Then what happened to make you hate him?’
The question hung in the air between them, and Torj found himself torn between the desire to bare his soul to her and the instinct to guard his wounds and keep his distance.The road stretched out before them, a silent witness to his struggle.‘A number of things,’ he said eventually.‘After I left for Thezmarr, he started to show his true colours.He stepped into the role of the powerful nobleman’s son, and then became an influential figure in his own right...It was at his bidding that I was sent to deal with the cursed bears in Tver.’
Wren frowned.‘Why?And...is it a bad thing?You gained your moniker there.You became a living legend...’
‘It was also when my grandmother went missing.Darian usedhis influence to keep me away from Tver when there was a lot of unrest going on.Because of him, I lost my grandmother.Because of him, I wasn’t there to protect her...He became more and more like his father.He had the women’s shelter that helped my mother knocked down, the one that my grandmother worked at.’
Wren was watching him closely; he could feel her warring with herself.
‘Like I said, it’s in the past now,’ he told her, eager to bring the topic to a close.
‘Apparently not, if he’s seeking you out.’
‘It wasn’t me he was seeking, Embervale,’ he told her, trying to strip the frustration from his voice.
‘What would he want with me?’she asked.
‘I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.’
Wren stared at him then, and he couldn’t for the life of him read the storm brewing in her eyes.
Torj swore he felt something flicker between them, the echo of what was once there.‘So you see?You can’t get mixed up with Darian.I won’t let you.You’re mine to protect—’
Fury flashed as Wren protested.‘I’m not—’
‘No matter what happened between us...’Torj had to get the words out, had to let her know.‘You’llalwaysbe mine to protect.’
CHAPTER 22
Wren
