A soul mended was not and would never be a soul healed. Waiting for time to do its magic – which also seemed to be a myth – was a passive approach. Revenge, at the very least, felt raw and real. Something she could strive for, not wait to come around. Seraphina had forgotten herself for a minute, but at her core, she had fire, and that fire could burn.
“Freising,” she said. “That’s where he is.”
If Eisengrau hadn’t moved on already, sent on another mission. But she didn’t say that out loud.
“Maybe all four of them are there.”
If they were still a pack.
“We’ll do what you want to do,” Rune said.
He moved, looking for a more comfortable position on the hard floor, and Seraphina caught a whiff of him. More precisely, of his clothes. Her nose wrinkled at the odor of grime and blood. She knew she smelled the same; she’d just gotten used to her own stink.
“We need clean clothes,” she said. “If we find a way through the city gate without being questioned, we need to look presentable.”
“We can wash–”
“No, we’ll steal what we need. I know a few shops, and we can choose one and hit it at night. I also need a set of daggers.” Her fingers flexed just at the thought. “There are plenty of cutlers’ shops in the city.”
“Seraphina, stealing is–”
“Faster. Tomorrow, we’ll go out together, walk the streets and choose our targets. Then tomorrow night, we get what we need.”
He let out a sigh but didn’t try to argue with her again. She could tell he was feeling uncomfortable.
The man who’d torn another man from limb to limb just a few hours ago felt uncomfortable about stealing some clothes and weapons. She wasn’t going to comment on that.
“I don’t know if I can sleep,” he said.
“Why not?”
She felt him shrug.
“Is it because of what we did today?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then?”
“It’s what comes next. It’s dangerous, and... how can I protect you when I’m useless?”
“Rune. You’re not useless. Stop saying that.”
“It’s true.”
“And you don’t have to protect me. I can take care of myself. And I’ll take care of you.”
“That’s only proof of how stupid and useless I am.”
She sighed. “How about this? We’ll protect each other.”
For a minute, he didn’t say anything, and Seraphina listened to him breathe and fight with himself.
“All right.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?”
Seraphina felt him relax against her back, and that was when she realized how tense and rigid he’d been all this time. She didn’t wait for him to answer before she started singing.
