Page 27 of Unravelled
Her throat tightened. The memory of yesterday twisted through her chest. Grief, guilt, a helpless fury. She shoved it down, burying it“Yes.” A lie.
She moved toward Tharion’s horse, expecting to mount behind him as usual. But before she could reach for the stirrup, Tharion was already moving, swinging up into the saddle with practiced ease, his silhouette steady against the rising morning light. She paused, confused for a half breath, until he turned, reached down, and extended a hand to her.
No words. Just an open palm. Not commanding. Not coaxing. Just offering. Her gaze flicked to his face, but he gave nothing away. She placed her hand in his. His grip shifted in an instant, sliding to her waist and with one fluid pull, he hauled her up into the saddle in front of him.
She landed lightly, instinctively bracing herself, but his arm was already there. Strong and steady around her. Her breath caught as his body settled close, his chest firm against her back, the warmth of him soaking through theanger. His arms moved to collect the reins, one on either side of her.
???
The convoy moved slowly. Wounded riders. Weak horses. Wagons rigged with salvaged wheels and fraying ropes. They kept to the treeline, following a winding path that cut through low hills and over ridges. The hush of early morning, of grief settling thick over the road. Mira sat still, tucked into Tharion’s body as they rode at the rear of the line.
Mira’s gaze drifted over the line of weary riders ahead. Over the hollow-eyed people, the stretchers, the damaged but functional carts. A heavy cloak of silence settled on them, each stifled sob an echo of their pain. She exhaled slowly, pressing her spine a little deeper into Tharion’s chest. His breath shifted against the crown of her head. A soft inhale.
The horse shifted beneath them, jolting slightly over uneven terrain. Tharion snaked an arm around her. Mira sucked in a sharp breath, a startled sound escaping before she could bite it back. Pain flared sharp and hot where the blade had sliced through her yesterday, a brutal reminder that her body was still catching up to her mind.
Tharion froze. The reins went taut for half a second before he pulled them to a halt. His grip softened, his touch becoming featherlight, afraid to cause her more pain. He shifted in the saddle to look at her side.
“You’re hurt.” The words slipped out, sharp with sudden realization.
"You don’t say." Mira forced a smirk, though it was tight.
Tharion exhaled through his nose, his jaw tightening. "Mira, you should’ve told me." He traced his fingers just above the wound, through the tear in her shirt, careful but assessing. His expression darkened. "You're bleeding." Mira gritted her teeth.
"It’s fine. Just a scratch. There were more serious wounds to tend to"
Tharion’s eyes bore into her wound, "You're bleeding, Mira. That’s not fine "
Before she could argue, he was already reaching for bandages from his horse's pack. He slowly raised her shirt up to the wound. He moved with practiced efficiency, looping it around her waist, tying it off just tight enough to stop the bleeding. His fingers never lingered for a second longer than necessary, his touch warm even as he lowered her clothes back. Tharion met her gaze, his voice quieter this time.
"You can tell me when you're in pain..."The words landed harder than she expected, striking a place she'd fought to keep sealed. To avoid wanting. Without another word, he nudged the horse forward.
The silence stretched between them, thick with all the things neither of them dared say. The steady rhythm of the horse's hooves filled the space instead, a hollowsound against the brittle quiet of the morning. Mira let it go on, her thoughts looping back to the questions she couldn't ignore.
She turned her head slightly, catching the sharp lines of his face in her peripheral vision. "Why do you and Ren seem to know more than I do?"
Tharion’s voice came again, low. “We didn't mean for you to hear that.”
She didn’t respond right away. Her fingers curled lightly over his arm. “But I did,” she said turning back to the road. He shifted behind her, just slightly. Enough for her to feel the tension in his chest.
Tharion sighed, “We didn’t know what had happened,” he started. “What the punishment took, what it left behind?” Mira’s throat tightened. The road curved, and their horse adjusted without command. She stared ahead, jaw set.
“It's our memories Tharion, I deserve to know,” she said, quiet but firm. Tharion sighed. A warm wind tugged at his cloak. Trees passed like ghosts in the early light.
"It wasn’t only the memories of the bond that were contained, Mira," he confessed. "What happened... it wasn’t... clean." Mira’s stomach turned. "Bonds can’t be broken," he said, his voice rough. "But the memory of them can be." His hands flexed once on the reins. "Sarelle's punishment didn’t just contain the memories. It carved through them. Through you."
Mira stared ahead, her jaw locking tight. Rage coiled hot beneath her ribs, sharp enough to burn. "But you knew," she said, voice low and shaking. "You and Ren.You bothknew, and said nothing." Her fingers curled into fists against her thighs. "Why?"
Tharion paused, trying to find the right words. She felt the tension in him, in the way his hand twitched on the reins.
“We don’t know everything,” he admitted. “But there’s a power in a bond. And we think they were afraid of what it would become if it grew unchecked. Especially given the extra time it had to develop.”
Mira's anger still burned, but underneath it, something else broke through. She heard the way his voice roughened, in the careful distance he kept. He hadn’t been hiding the truth to betray her. He’d been trying to protect her from it. Like he had said all along. She exhaled slowly, the fight draining out of her ribs, leaving only the ache. She turned her head slightly, catching him over her shoulder.
"You were afraid I wouldn’t survive remembering it," she said softly. Mira gave a faint, smile, more tired than angry.
"I still am." he whispered.
"But I can," she replied, her voice steady."You don’t have to protect me." Her chest and ribs ached.
