“Rominy?”
He glances back at her from his perch on the edge of the bed. She’s sitting up now, too, her flannel nightgown such a mundane contrast to the otherness about her—the pointed ears and the silver hair.
She’s more suited to silks and satins and whatever flimsy material that sheer gown was made of.
Stars above. That’s the last thing he needs to be thinking about right now.
“Are you going to pretend you didn’t just kiss me?” she asks. “After we almost drowned?”
He meets her eyes, but if she’s hurt, she doesn’t show it. Of course, he is still learning to read her expressions.
With a sigh, he looks down at his fingernails. “That was pretty much my plan. Not that I regret it. At all. Because I don’t. At least, I don’t think I do. I just...wasn’t planning to kiss you yet, and now I feel really awkward.”
When he looks back at her, amusement fills her eyes. “That was a lot of words.”
He chuckles. “I ramble when I’m nervous.”
“It’s endearing. Shall we pretend the kiss didn’t happen?”
Then a brief flicker of...something crosses her eyes.
She is hurt.
And she’s trying to hide it.
She’s not very good at hiding what she’s feeling, though, is she? She’s far too expressive to hide much of anything.
Which is...also endearing.
“No,” he says softly.
“No?”
“No, we shouldn’t pretend it didn’t happen. You don’t regret it, do you?”
She shakes her head. “It was perfect.”
“Really? I barely even thought before I did it. It wasn’t planned or...or practiced or anything romantic.”
“That’s what made it perfect. It was real.”
It was real, wasn’t it?
Before he can respond, the train whistles.
“Wolbourne. We need to get dressed.” He grabs his clothes from yesterday and hurries into the other room, sliding the door shut behind him.
WhenCerianopenshiseyes, faint sunlight streams around the edges of his drapes. His fire magic is quiet here. Quieter than in the heartlanding, at least.
But the room feels empty without Arisanna.
“Cerian?”
He turns toward her voice, dizziness clouding his head. What is she doing on her feet already? She clings to the doorframe between their chambers, her skin pale and her eyes glassy.
She looks as though she’s about to faint.
He throws back the covers and flies toward her, his own head spinning. Just as her knees buckle, he wraps his arms around her and holds her steady.
