My skin heats, fire spreads across my chest and to the tips of my ears. For weeks in Valebridge there was no need to, nowayfor me to mask the ink on my neck. Not with the iron around my wrists and with how exhausted I was at the Onyx Guild, I must have let the mask slip.
He knows.
He knows.
He knows.
“So tell me,” he whispers, his knee stilling. “Why have I failed to notice this mark andwhyis it there at all?”
“I…” Biting my bottom lip, I swallow the lump forming in my throat. I shake my head and look away from him. I can’t see the pain that’s there. The anger. Not after everything he risked to come for me. Everything he’s risked to keep me safe.
“So, it’s true.” Sorin’s hand brushes mine. “Look at me.”
Reluctantly, I do. “It’s true,” I admit.
Closing his eyes, he brings his palms to his face, rubbing at his jaw and forehead. He glances at me briefly before returning his gaze to the wall. “You took my debt from Grawgeth.”
“Yes,” I whisper
“And why is it that I never noticed?” Again, his knee begins to bounce as he spins his fathers ring around his forefinger.
“After the Wicked Wood everything happened so quickly. I didn’t expect for us to…” Flashes of memory of Sorin and I in our shared tent makes my skin heat further. “I didn’t want to upset you, so I masked it,” I admit, a wash of embarrassment sweeping across my skin. “When I realized that you came for me in Valebridge, I couldn’t…” I bring my hand to my chest to steady my heart and catch my breath. “There was so much going onwith Galen and then Loxley and I couldn’t put another burden upon your shoulders.”
He closes his eyes, resting his chin on his folded hands.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of you being upset.”
“And what were your terms?” Sorin turns to face me. Our bodies, so close and yet he may as well be across the room. “What were your terms with the nymph, Elora?” His words are clipped, his face a stone wall.
Letting out a ragged breath, I grip the quilt in either hand, giving myself something tangible to grab onto. A reminder of where I am. That I am safe.
“Why does it matter?”
“What do you mean?” he snaps, standing from the bed. “Why wouldn’t it matter?”
I stand to join him, a flicker of annoyance breaking through the panic. “All that matters is that you’re safe.”
Hurt flashes across Sorin’s features. His face reddens, but his eyes show what he doesn’t want me to see.
He’s afraid.
“And what about you?” he asks smoothly, taking a step toward me. “What aboutyourfate, Elora? If your soul is tied to the Wicked Wood, there will be no chance at an after life. No chance at living beyond the veil with Mother Gaia.”
“I was trying to save you.” I groan, scratching at my scalp. “The Wicked Woods play tricks on you. It messes with your mind, and if you hadn’t already noticed, my mind is already a mess. I did what I thought best at the moment.”
“Damning yourself isn’t saving me,” he says. “Am I just supposed to sit back and let you take my place in the Wicked Wood? And you purposely hid this from me?”
“What you’re angry about is theexactsame thing you withheld. You didn’t tell me of your bargain until it was too late.” I cross my arms if only to stop my fingers from picking ateach other. “Don’t for one second mistake my choice. Saving you wasn’t and will never be a mistake.”
His shoulders slump, the statement landing just as I intended. He takes another step toward me, so close now that the heat from his chest slams into me. “It was still reckless.”
“Well, you would know. You are the definition of reckless, Sorin.” Shaking my head, I give in and pick at my nails, finding focus on anything other than this conversation. “Trust me, I’ve had enough time in the dark to sit with my decision and how it affects the man I love, whether he’s an idiot or not.”
“What did you just say?” His words are a whisper. An unsure question transcending between us.
“That you’re an idiot.” Scoffing, I resume my place on the foot of the bed. “Of course, you’d find a way to make that flattering.”
“Not that part.” His voice is low and it sends the hairs on the back of my neck straight up. “Tell me again. What did you say?”
