I tapped the spot over my breast where it rested. “I’ll check in every evening and send reports when I can.”
“And what’s the code word if you need me to get you out of there?” Arowyn cut in.
I rolled my eyes. “Arowyn, we don’t need a code word. I’ll just write, ‘Help, I’m dying.’”
“Not funny.” She pointed at me. “Code word?”
With a long sigh, I replied, “Sugar nuts.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“What did we ever do before you and your unbreakable codes, Arowyn?” Tessa asked with a snort.
“Two weeks,” Kieran said, crossing his arms over his chest. He was always utterly unbothered by our ridiculous banter. “That’s how long until the contingency sets sail for Mysthelm. You have two weeks to discover what you can so we can coordinate a final attack.”
Tessa added, “And if we don’t hear from you in any forty-eight-hour period, we’re calling the whole thing off. Say the word, and we’ll come in, through flame and ash.”
“We’ve got your back, Dev.” Arowyn tilted her head up in agreement with Tessa. “And your front.”
A sudden warmth filled my chest as they all nodded. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose, fighting off the sting in my eyes. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Be ready to leave in half an hour,” Everett said, standing withhis empty plate. He was escorting me to the Mysthelm base once again, where Scarven’s men would pick me up.
The others followed his lead and cleared off the table, stopping to murmur their goodbyes and good lucks. Tessa pulled me into a tight hug, and Arowyn nudged my arm with a smile on the way out.
Only Nox and I were left.
I twisted my lips, listening to the crackle of flames and ice clinking against glass as he took a sip of his drink. Squaring my shoulders, I stood and made my way to the matching wingback chair next to him. “Mind if I sit?”
He glanced at me, then back to the fire, motioning to the chair with his glass.
“You’ve been particularly quiet,” I finally said, unable to take the silence any longer.
“Haven’t had anything particularly interesting to say.”
“That hasn’t stopped you before,” I quipped, shooting him a half-hearted smirk. He didn’t react. We went back to the tense silence, the ornate clock on the wall ticking faster and faster toward my impending departure.
I stared into the flames. My shadows came to the surface of my skin, twining around my finger as they liked to do. I flicked my hand and sent them toward the fire. I was entranced at the way the flames darted up the fireplace, the way my shadows moved around them like they were dancing.
“I wish you’d say something,” I whispered after a minute.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his knuckles clench around his glass. He stood and paced to the edge of the fireplace, leaning against the mantel. “What do you want me to say, Devora?”
“I don’t know. Something. Tell me a bad joke, or—or yell at me. Anything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You want me to yell at you?”
“No, I just…” I let out a breath and ran my fingers through my hair. “Ijust need a distraction.”
His shoulders straightened. He put his glass on the mantel and took a step closer, eyeing me like a predator assessing its prey.
“A distraction?” he murmured. Another step.
My mouth went dry. I told myself to look away, but my eyes wouldn’t obey. The fire was suddenly sweltering. My sweater clung to the edge of my shoulder, scratchy and hot and too tight under his stare.
He leaned forward, both hands resting on either arm of my chair, bracketing me in. “If I wanted todistractyou, darling, I wouldn’t waste my time yelling.”
His voice scraped low, rough and dangerous. The air crackled between us. I could feel the warmth of his breath, the scent of spicy smoke clinging to his skin. My lips parted, but I couldn’t breathe.
