It wasn’t because of his muscles, nor how low that tiny towel hung on his hips, revealing the telltaleVshe’d seen in her dreams. Gods, why did it make her skin warm, why did it make a strange little quiver turn in her stomach?
And it wasn’t because of the enormous pectorals and biceps he had, and the way the steam was rolling down his skin like sweat, like?—
Stop it,she told herself.This isn’t one of your godsdamned dreams!
But she couldn’t look away from him. There were penance scars upon his chest, which were all older than Zey’s – like they’d branded him into submission long,longago.
All of the above would have given her pause.
But her eyes were stuck on the enormous scar he had, still angry and raised, that spanned from his collarbone to his waistline. A scar large enough it practically split him in two.
‘I’ll go,’ he said, still looking off into the steam. His jaw twitched, and his hands curled into fists. If she didn’t know any better, she’dthink he was uncomfortable. Miserable, actually. Her cheeks warmed, and something that felt like disappointment crossed her mind. ‘Take the space. I’ll bathe in the dormitories tonight.’
He turned away.
‘Wait,’ Ezer blurted.
She truly hadn’t meant to, but she couldn’t stop herself. He turned back, his eyes expectant.
He was staring at her face.
Quite pointedlyat her face, like he didn’t dare look away, and the expression on his own was almost pained.
‘What happened?’ she asked. ‘Your scar.’
He slowly looked down. This time, at his own body, where it looked like he’d been split open and sewn back together again.
‘War,’ he said.
She raised a brow and held the towel tighter around herself. ‘Arawn.’
He flinched at his name on her lips.
‘The truth, in exchange for trust, remember? It’s your turn.’
‘I …’ He looked pained when he swallowed, like he had rocks in his throat. And then he met her eyes. ‘I made a terrible mistake.’
‘Tell me?’ She swallowed. ‘Please.’
He wiped sweat from his brow.
‘Three months ago, one of my aerie riders took an eagle without clearance. She went rogue, trying to cross the Expanse on her own.’
‘Why?’ Ezer asked.
Zey’s face flashed in her mind.
‘Because she was searching for answers,’ Arawn said. ‘Searching for something she thought she might find on the other side. She was speaking of strange things, hiding something from me, and …’
‘What sort of things?’
He shook his head. ‘Places far away. Another world. She showed me a book, something she wanted me to see, but … the book wasemptywhen I opened it.’
‘Empty?’
A curious feeling came over her, as she thought of Zey’s book.
Arawn nodded. ‘I feared for her life. For her mind. When she ran … I went after her. She’d settled into her pillar late, wasn’t ready to face the darksouls alone. Night fell just before she reached the Sawteeth, and the battle began. A darksoul attacked her and severed her eagle’s wing. She crashed. I made it to the ground before the wolves swarmed us. There were too many. And there was nothing I could do.’
