“Smarter. More alive.” Patch closed his eye, his brows knitting together. “We fought them off the best we could, used all of Bird’s weapons but they got my arm and Nora–” His eye met Nora’s. “We’re lucky you showed up before they came back.”
“How did you get them to leave?” Stone’s voice was rough, his nostrils flaring.
Patch rested his head back against the wall. “Fire,” he said. “Whatever the fuck machine Birdie made was our only chance at survival, but even then it was close.”
“Let’s get you two some food and into bed.” Stone and Aesira helped him up and forced him and Nora to eat one of the ration packs they had left.
With the reservoirs filled, the ship fired up with ease and Stone led them away from Dire. Aesira sat alone at the stern, watching as the mountains and the decrepit dock faded from view. She tucked her knees tightly to her chest, the memories of the last few weeks flipping through her mind. The Strix. The Lunaris moths. The Dreamweavers.
Stone.
Ravki and water and the dragon.
She let out a shaky exhale and stretched her legs. Something stabbed her thigh. She pulled out of her pocket the small knife from the abandoned camp she and Bee found in Ravki. She studied it under the light of the moon. The ancient blade, worn and dull. The handle, ornate. Bee thought Desmond brought the weapon,thought it was the only explanation for a Vargahian weapon to be in Ravki.
She wasn’t so convinced, considering the age of the weapon and all the other pieces of the camp. Which only begged more questions. If Desmond didn’t bring the weapon, who did?
Thirty-Three
Aesira
The small cabin underneath the ship welcomed Aesira with open arms. She climbed into the soft bed, burying her face into the pillow before a knock at her door had her sitting up.
Stone popped his head in. “Can I come in?” She nodded, a flurry of butterflies taking flight in her stomach. There was something deeply intimate about being alone, just the two of them, for the first time in weeks.
“It’s your room.”
Stone sat at the end of the bed and ran a hand down his face. “I like that you’re in it.” She scooted closer, sitting with her legscrossed.
“Are you okay?”
“Tired,” he admitted. “You?” He slid his hand out and found hers without looking, like they were magnetic, drawn to each other by an unseen force.
“I don’t know.” Aesira stroked her thumb across the back of Stone’s hand. “Tired. Worried.” Stone’s fingers tightened around hers.
He sighed, a deep sound like it fought its way up through his body. “With theastra, we’ll be in Vargah in just a couple of days.” He glanced at her, the dark blue in his eyes catching her breath. “I don’t know what awaits us,” he said, finding a curl and wrapping it around his finger. He liked to do that, she realized, and she liked when he did it.
“I don’t know either,” she said, “but we have right now.” His gaze darted from her lips to her eyes, the fierceness of his stare melting her. It was just the two of them. No monsters. No Birdie and Bee. Nothing stopping them from being together, if they wanted to. And more than anything, she wanted to.Only a distraction, she lied to herself. “Who should we be tonight?”
He leaned closer. “What if I said I just want to be Aesira and Stone.” His eyes lingered on her lips. “What if I said fuck all the rest. No thinking about who we are. No worrying about what comes next.” His lips brushed hers and she wanted to lean into the touch, get lost in it. "Just be here." A kiss to her lips. "With me." Another to her jaw. "Right now." He pulled back enough so she could see his face.
“It’s not that easy," she whispered, their lips still close enough to kiss.
“We know they’re lying.” His breath was warm against her lips. “We’ve seenastra. Dragons. An abundance of life and water thatthey’ve hid from us. Scared us into submission.” He leaned away and the space between them grew cold. “Change is possible, Aesira, it’s just a matter of how badly you want it.”
She knew about wanting things badly.
“You're right,” she said. “And when we get to Vargah, I will speak with my sister. I will tell her what she needs to know of Ravki. I will urge for change without risking what we’ve found. Besides, you’ll be a free man, Stone. There is no reason you can’t leave Vargah.”No reason you can’t go where I go. “You know, if you want it so badly?”
A grin split across his lips then he was there again, invading her space. “I made you a promise,” he said against her ear. The night in Ravki came crashing back into her. Stone’s words and hands. His mouth on her and the promises he made.
His eyes dipped to her lips again, then with such gentleness, he used his thumb to open her mouth. He hooked his thumb behind her bottom teeth and guided her forward. “I may be an Odega,” he whispered, his breath mingling with hers, “but I do keep my promises.” His thumb slipped out, drawing a line across her bottom lip.
Her body was scorching. Everywhere they touched, everywhere they didn’t. “Tell me your dream.”
“Which one?”
“All of them.”
