I consider that. “He won’t be able to speak at all?”
Callan shakes his head. His hold tightens as he lifts me from his lap to the bed beside him, his arms pulling free and leaving coldness behind. I wrap my arms around myself and watch as he climbs off the bed. “Don’t feel guilty. It was a small thing, and Solomon never casts without considering the cost. He’s used to getting by when the pretium is upon him. Hand sign language, gestures. Rio does the same thing. Between us, we’ve worked out a way to still communicate over the years.”
Callan stretches, his shoulders popping. His linen shirt rises up, revealing a low strip of warm, golden skin above the waistband of dark leather. It makes me wonder how long he sat here, waiting for me to wake up.
Holding me.
And then I wonder why I so badly want to know.
Callan gestures. “You know where everything is, so I’ll leave you be. There’s fresh linen in the chest. Although you may find yourself with company shortly. Esmeray likely won’t miss out on the opportunity to have a better wash than what we’ve beenhaving these last few days. But she’ll wait for you to be done. There’s no rush.”
My lips lift. “I don’t mind. I’m used to sharing bathwater. Tell her she’s welcome to come down.”
The thought makes my heart patter. I hope Tieren made it out of the territory. That she found her traveling band, made it through the gates toward her wife and home.
Callan nods. “Come up whenever you’re ready. It will be a quiet night. Rio is planning to teach you to play carpo, if you don’t know how. He’s convinced that you’ll make an excellent teammate since your eyes don’t give anything away, and he keeps losing to Merrick and Sol.”
He studies my face. “Although I’m not sure I would agree, when it comes to your eyes.”
I falter. Something swoops, light and fluttering in my chest.
But Callan turns away. The door swings closed behind him.
Swallowing, I pull myself up and cross the room on unsteady feet to dip my finger in the water. The steam travels up, caressing my face.
That’s why I feel flushed, I tell myself.
It’s just the water.
“Selene?”
My heart does something curious. Almost flipping, as I whirl around. As though it’s somersaulting, like the acrobats that once travelled through the city. Boralas had permitted me to watch them from the window as they flipped and danced through the street. “Did you forget something?”
Callan shakes his head slowly. He takes a slow step into the room. “On the day of the Shift, you ran down to the harbor.”
It’s not what I expected him to say. Although I don’t know what I expected. My forehead creases as I stare at him. “Yes.”
Callan takes another, small step in my direction. “I followed you, you know.”
My hand reaches for the edge of the barrel. Grips it. “What do you mean?”
His cheeks flush, darkening to a deep red that spreads across the top of his defined cheekbones. It makes him look younger. “I left Merrick, and I followed you. I wanted to do something. One small thing, so it mattered that we had tried at all. We had been too late, but you were still there. So I followed, to try to make sure you’d be safe.”
The air squeezes from my lungs. My lips part. “You were at the dock?”
“You were sofast.” Callan shakes his head. His golden throat flexes. “You truly flew that day, Selene. You might not have been able to use your wings, but you flew faster than anyone who tried to catch you. I ran as fast as I could, but I still couldn’t keep up with you.”
Run, my sisters had said.Do not stop.
And I had not stopped.
“There was a situation,” Callan says quietly. “I stopped to help, just for a few moments. But they cost me. I got there just as you fell.”
His hands spread, almost helpless. “It means nothing, I know. It doesn’t matter. It didn’t change a single damned thing about what happened to you. I’m not trying to claim otherwise. It’s just…”
Once again, I can’t breathe. But it is not mud cutting off my air. “Just what?”
Callan meets my eyes. “You said you were alone. While you were sleeping, just now. You said it a few times. And I just wanted you to know that you were not alone. Not for that.”
