Chapter Thirty-one
Ty
Tyawokebeforedawninside the small canvas tent the three of them shared. He’d had trouble sleeping, and had lain awake most of the night, staring at the tan material of the tent above him, watching it get slowly more and more sodden as the snow fell overnight.
He couldn’t stop going over everything again and again in his mind. Ena had done as good a job as she could explaining it all to the Aquilo witch. It wasn’t her fault he was an absolute dumbass who had no imagination whatsoever beyond what he’d been told.
But that wasn’t what kept him up. It was the way the witch had looked at Ena—something about it made him want to bash the guy’s face in.
What were they to each other exactly? Ena had said they were friends, but there was a comfort and familiarity there that hinted at more. And he already knew they’d danced together all those years ago… Had more happened since then?
Fucking Iblis. Just the thought of that made his blood absolutely boil and he had to sit up. He had to move and break some wood or fucking hit something.
He knew it was unjustified. She’d had nine years without him; it made sense that she’d had relationships with others—he certainly had. And if it was just that, just plain old jealousy, maybe he could deal with it. But something about seeing them together, seeing how easily theyfit,was what hurt the most.
They were both witches, and they were from allied Covens, and there was clearly a long history of friendship between them. He could see them being together, and lasting—unlike he and Ena. It was everything he wanted, and everything he couldn’t have, and that was what absolutely crushed him.
Quietly slipping out of the tent so as not to disturb Turner and Ena, who were still sleeping, he emerged into the cold morning air to build up the fire. Luckily, there were still coals, because without either of his fire-starters, he would’ve had to get out his flint.
The fresh inch of snow on the ground surrounding them muffled the sounds of the forest, but he could still hear animals moving about quietly nearby, and farther in the distance, the sounds of other travelers who were camped out, waking up for the morning.
Taking out his pack, he removed some provisions he’d traded for yesterday in Aquilo—some cheeses, pickled vegetables, and cured meats—and set aside a few things that he knew were Ena’s favorites before eating what was left over for his breakfast.
The sun was just coming up when he heard movement from inside the tent. He looked to see Ena emerge, her dark, braided hair tousled and unkempt.
He watched as she put on her cloak and came over to sit on a log by the fire. Wordlessly, he handed her the small cheesecloth filled with things he’d set aside for her. Their hands brushed asshe took them, and he felt his entire body come alive in that one simple touch.
Fuck, he missed touching her. He missed breathing her in and losing himself in her. Would he really never get to touch her like that again? The thought gutted him, and he had to look away.
At least she was here now. At least he could still talk to her. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she began eating, balancing the food on her lap and using her good right hand to break pieces off. She still wasn’t moving the broken one much, and that concerned him. Was it still hurting her?
He cleared his throat, drawing her attention so she looked up at him. Fuck, he loved it when she did that, but those big blue eyes instantly turned his brain to mush and he had to force it to think.
“How’s your arm?” he asked, finally getting words to come out.
“It’s—”
Just then, he heard movement coming closer to them through the woods. He recognized the gait from yesterday.
There was no doubt—it was Cris.
His gaze swung to where the sound came from the woods, and Ena’s eyes followed.
“Is someone coming?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s your friend,” he said, hoping she didn’t pick up the tension in the way he said the wordfriend.
Ena stood up, placing her breakfast on the downed log behind her as she prepared to greet their guest.
“Turner,” Ty called. “Wake up. We have a visitor.”
He heard Turner grumble something about it being too early for fucking visitors, followed by the sounds of him moving about and getting up anyway.
Cris emerged from the woods, a pack strung across his back.
That was a good sign, and Ty felt both relieved and pissed all at once.
“Cris,” Ena greeted, walking towards him. “You came back. Does this mean…?”
