My gaze settled squarely on him. For several seconds, neitherof us moved. Then my attention shifted abruptly to the space out over the makeshift treehouse balcony behind him. My eyes winded in startled shock. Erik turned to see what had caught my attention so suddenly, and at that moment, I sprang forward. Lunging for him, I prepared to shove him. Perhaps if I could just startle him, get him off-balance, I would be able to…
He stepped aside. Stopping me short, his hand snatching mine in a way that I was the one who lost my balance, literally falling into him. My back hit his chest. It happened so quick, yet I felt everything in such detail it was as if the single moment endlessly stretched. Fingers gripping my hips, momentarily tightening before relaxing. A hand glided across my abdomen, pressing me into him. Arms circled me, capturing me. I breathed in the scent of earth and fire. His heartbeat thrummed strong and true at my back.
He leaned into me, sending a shudder through my body. “How devious of you,” he murmured in my ear before releasing me.
Without fully regaining my balance, I charged away from him. My foot jammed in one of the uneven floorboards. Stumbling, I caught myself and turned once more to face him. He stood staring at me again, a confident smile on his lips.
He lunged first this time, his speed forcing me to leap back. The boards creaked beneath my boots as I sidestepped.
"Come on, Ariana," he taunted, his voice a rumble that sent shivers scurrying along my spine. "Is this all you can do?"
Pivoting, I slammed my shoulder into his chest, managing to knock him off balance. His eyes flashed with surprise as he faltered back a step before dropping. With a twist and a sweep of his leg, Erik took me down. I hit the floor with a grunt, the impact rattling the boards beneath us. Before I could recover, he straddled me, his weight pinning me down.
His smirk deepened as he leaned forward, bracing his hands on either side of my head. “Looks like I win, princess.”
I glared up at him, my breathing uneven but my resolve unwavering. “Not quite.”
From the pocket of my pants, I drew a slender blade and pressed it to his throat. The cool metal glinted in the moonlight, and his smirk faltered for just a heartbeat before returning, this time with an edge of admiration. We agreed to no conjuring, not no weapons.
“Clever,” he murmured, his voice low and velvet.
“Iver and Eislyn taught me the power of being underestimated,” I replied, my lips curving into a smile.
Neither of us moved. His sapphire eyes held mine, their intensity a match for the blade at his throat. For a moment I thought he might lean closer. Instead, he climbed off me, offering a hand. I accepted it, letting him pull me to my feet. His grip lingered, strong and steady.
He glanced to my other hand; at the blade he gifted me at my Ascension. “You keep it on you?” His hold loosened before he finally let go.
“Did you expect me not to?” I sheathed the dagger in the blade pocket at my thigh, brushing off the dust from my clothes.
“I wasn’t sure what you would do with it. But I like that you keep it close.”
I looked at him, but he was no longer focused on me.
His attention moved over the space once more. “So, this is a place you go to feel safe?”
“Sometimes.” I watched him as he drifted through the room before exploring the small outdoor balcony, which dangerously had no railing. It was strange, having someone else in a place that had been singly my own for so long. I felt as if I stood on a ledge, fearing what he would find, while hoping his interest would remain held for a while.
Erik paced over to the edge of the balcony, looking towards themoon. “The best way to feel safe is for you not to go to the Sidhe,” he said casually. Of course, he could not easily let it go.
Sighing, I joined him outside. “This allows me an opportunity to learn something of the Sidhe, maybe find out if what we think is even true.”
“It is,” he stated, refusing to allow room for any other possibility. The stern opposition he had to Clause’s invitation did not align with his goals of freeing the Lysians. He probably was afraid of losing an ally in my people’s leadership.
I viewed him. “Then this meeting may be fruitful. I know you are concerned for your sister, and I told you that the Bavadrins will help. If anything were to happen to me, then the Sidhe threat would be seen as very real. Whoever the next leader is to be, they will join forces with you. You will have the support of the Bavadrin lands. I can promise you this.” I tried to ease his worries. Erik’s goals would still be pursued, even if I was no longer around.
A look of disgust passed over his features, and he looked away from me once more. “Do you think me so vile as to not care at all what happens to you?” The coldness in his tone surprised me.
I, too, peered out at the sky. It seemed so quiet out there, yet it was a peace that would not last. I felt it—an ominous presence that did not belong. Something loomed over my people and me.
“There is no shame in worrying about those you rule over and your family,” I stated after a moment. Erik had his goals, and there was no problem with that.
He released a low, cruel laugh and pivoted, pacing several steps into the tree house. “You are correct in assuming that that’s something I care for. However, you are wrong in thinking that it is the only thing that has me uncertain about your trip. I do not simply care about what happens to you for the Lysians’ sake.” He turned those sapphire eyes back towards me. “I do not wish for harm to fall toyou. Specifically you. The thought of it alone is enough to make me wish I had the power to destroy the Sidhe without yourinvolvement. You have done nothing to warrant taking such a risk.”
Warmth swelled in my chest, and I tore my eyes from his. “I thought we were not even capable of a friendship. That was what you said the other night.” I had to force myself to turn back to meet his gaze, feeling so incredibly irrational for that single interaction to have upset me the way it had.
“The look on your face when I said some of those things… I regret my delivery. But what could I have done? You had just wandered towards the border all alone on the white moon of all nights. And then you, what, wished us to simply exchange pleasantries? I wanted nothing more. Yet I had my duty to protect the perimeter, and you now know that the border may be threatened by Lysians who are not under my control. The risk you were putting yourself in was reckless, and not to mention my self-control was...” His voice briefly trailed off. “I needed you gone. So, I said what I needed to get you as far away as quickly as possible.”
My heart as it skipped a beat. I tried not to think of how he likely heard it do that. “Where exactly does this leave us, Erik?”
