“Are you and Ziven…”
Oh, no. Not him thinking that as well. I frown. “No! He’s my friend!”
He pushes away the curls falling over his forehead. “You didn’t even let me finish the question.”
“Fair. What was the question?”
“Do you love him?”
I exhale, partly annoyed, partly scared of what he might ask me next. “What difference does it make?”
He steps closer. Too close. “You think it makes no difference to me?”
I step back. “Yes. No difference.”
“How can you say that?”
All the words that had been stuck in my throat and been weighing on my chest decide to come out all at once. “First, I’m stinky. Second, you wouldn’t mind seeing me falling. Third, you saw me and didn’t even…” I stop myself. What was I going to say? Kiss me? Say loving words? I don’t know what I expected. “You were cold. Distant.”
“No, no, no.” He wiggles a finger. “Youcomplained you were stinky. You didn’t ask me what I thought. What I understood was that you were feeling uncomfortable, and I made sure you felt better. Second, when I saw you… What did you expect me to do? I didn’t know what you wanted, and didn’t want you to feel like you owed me anything just because I came to rescue you.Regardless, I had to get you far from Zorwal even if you never looked me in the face again. Third, I didn’t know what Berta was planning. I had no idea. The only thing I knew was that she was furious at my brother and willing to punish me in his stead. I couldn’t let her know what I feel for you.”
My breath stills.
“What do you feel?” My voice comes out as a whisper, dread and hope mixing in my chest.
He takes my hand and guides it to his chest, over his heart, where I feel it thumping against his skin.
“This.”
His thumb brushes the back of my hand as I look into his eyes, that odd coldness gone. I’m still stunned, and then I realize I was an idiot for not seeing it.
“You wanted to protect me?” I ask.
“Obviously. It’s why I went to the castle. I would have gone alone, would have walked all the way just to save you. Knowing you were with Zorwal was indeed worse than being stabbed and almost dying. It hurt more.”
I rest my face on his chest, the feel of his presence enveloping me, washing away all that fear, that uncertainty. He wraps his arms around me and holds me close.
“Tarlia,” he says. “I know we said it was one night, but one night was not enough. I’m not supposed to say I love you because I don’t know you well yet. But what I can say is that Iwantto love you—if you let me.”
Relief becomes joyful laughter and I look up at him. “I want to love you too.”
He holds me tighter and closes his eyes. I lean in, relishing this moment, feeling his chest moving up and down slowly, my tension washing away. We remain like that for a long moment, in the silence of each other’s companion.
My eyes are misty when I finally look at his face again. He leans down and brushes his lips against mine. A soft, ethereal touch that slowly turns into a kiss.
AZUR
Lidiane’s lost in the ocean, swimming away from me. I try to reach her, but I can’t swim.
A light in the dark waters catches my eye.
It’s Astra, her body shimmering, smiling at me. “Trust your light.”
“Are you dead?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
Renel is fighting ghouls, swinging his sword, and I’m not around to save him. Why am I upset that I can’t save him?
I need to save Lidiane, that’s what I need to do. Save her from her magical poisoning, since we can’t count on the Witch King dying.
