Page 29 of Ember and Eclipse
“Usually only the ones who don’t annoy me. You’re the exception to that rule.”
“Lucky me.”
Quiet fell over them again except for his breathing and heartbeat. Her imagination was rich, but as she tried to call up a face of a make-believe lover, she could only see the hunter. His silver hair, mercurial gaze. His scowl or his self-assured smirk that hinted at what he would look like if he truly smiled. His lips on hers, incredibly full and warm, his tongue tasting of nectar and honey. Did he have someone waiting for him at home? Did he reserve his genuine smile and tender touches for them? Did he even know how to be gentle?
She’d been saved by him tonight, but only because he was meant to take her to Romul. What would it be like to have someone willing to go to such lengths, not because of a bounty or out of duty, but because of something greater?
It was a dangerous and traitorous line of thought. No one was coming for her. She silently cursed her mind for even considering it. There had been many years where she hoped for someone to protect her, to care for her, to take her away. The desires and daydreams of a little girl who would have done anything to be saved. In the end, the only person willing to save her was herself. There would never be a champion fighting for her honor, a lover burning the world down to get to her.
It was just her. When she was in the streets of Romul after her mother died, when the princess left her behind, or when she was kneeling with her back being carved into. And now it was her who was alone with the wolf in its den. And still, she couldn’t banish thoughts of Devdan.
Surely all these contemplations were from being overly tired. But it didn’t stop her from opening her eyes and shifting to look up at him.
She was surprised to find he was already staring at her, his head tilted down, his mouth a brief distance from hers. Her lips parted, some explanation attempting, and failing, to come out.
He marked the movement, his eyes tracing her nose to her lips and back up. “Will you ever grow exhausted of plotting my death when you should be sleeping?”
Rel pressed her cheek against his chest again, looking away. “Never,” she managed with an appropriate amount of acidity. She was comforted to find that her loathing for him was still very much intact.
Chapter XVII
Relawokeintheearly afternoon to find Devdan gone. Even more disconcerting was that he had moved her somehow without waking her. But her head was heavy, and her body incredibly fatigued. By midday, it was apparent she was ill. She fluctuated between being hot and cold and was so weak that she wouldn’t have been able to move if she wanted to. Sleep took her to nightmarish lands filled with hungry creatures with crimson eyes and reeking of death.
A knock at her door was the only warning she got before it was opened. She didn’t bother looking, too tired to care about any maid coming or goingorthe Wolf of Romul. So, when hands grabbed and shook her, she startled, her eyes snapping open and her body naturally preparing for a battle.
But it wasn’t anyone she expected. An ocean-filled gaze took her in.
“Silas?” she croaked. “What are you doing—”
“I had to be certain. Last night, I just…” he trailed off, searching her face. “Iwantto be wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” She shook her head, attempting to clear it as she propped herself up. The fever left her mind foggy.
“Is he holding you against your will? You said you’d never return to Romul, and from what I could gather this afternoon, he’s claiming he’s a merchant, but he has no crew, no boat, no goods.”
Devdan.If he found him here…
But Silas had tracked down all that information? A swell of appreciation for the mercenary went through her, not for the first time. She was grateful to him—for the kindness he showed her when she was escaping Romul and his concern now. But hope was dangerous,thiswas dangerous. His curiosity and his care for her would be the end of him.
“Listen to me—he willkillyou. You can’t be seen here.”
“He went to the stables, but we don’t have long. I can take you, hide you until the rain stops. I can get you out of the city, we could go anywhere. Disappear.” He was pulling off the covers, talking fast, but she caught his hands in hers.
“You don’t understand. He’ll find me, and then he’ll kill you. I—” Her voice broke with emotion. She swallowed hard and tried again. “I greatly appreciate you, Silas, but I don’t want to put you in harm’s way. Please go. Just forget you ever saw me and...” But she had no more words. He had to leave. She squeezed his hands before she released them, another chance of freedom slipping from her grasp.
“I’ll fight him then. We can—”
“You don’t understand, he’ll destroy you.” Visions of him fighting off two violent mals were all she could see. If he could do that, Silas would be nothing to dispatch. “I wish I could tell you everything, but there isn’t time.”
He straightened, pain and confusion in every feature. She could see his inner struggle—wanting to argue, wanting to help her.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, offering him a smile. “I always am.”
Before he could respond, the door opened. The creaking hinges were an ominous sound, signaling Death’s arrival.
“Fuck,” Silas cursed.
Rel was already moving out from under the covers to stand between the mercenary and the hunter. Even as she swayed with dizziness and her tender ankle protested, she put her arms out to shield him.
