“Damn right.” His blue-silver eyes glint with something playful—but there’s warmth there, too. Real. Unmistakable.
His gaze flicks over my face. He cocks his head. “You ready for this?”
I nod. “More than ready.”
Kieran hums, approving. Then—before I realize what he’s doing—he steps forward and presses a quick kiss to my cheek.
It’s warm. Gentle. Brief.
My breath catches.
He lingers for half a second, then leans back just enough to meet my eyes, grinning. “Don’t fall yet.”
A wink.
Then turns, striding back toward camp like he didn’t just knock the breath out of me.
I’m still standing there, processing, when Lyra catches my eye. Her brows lift. Her grin says it all.Told you so.
Before I can react, she subtly jerks her chin behind me. I don’t need to look. I feel it.
Thane.
I turn slightly, just enough to see him already mounted on his horse—a sleek black stallion, its coat catching the low morning light. But it’s not the horse that holds me.
It’shim. His eyes.
Piercing. Fixed on me. His jaw ticks. His fingers twitch once on the reins before he reins in whatever storm is rolling through him.
I should feel triumphant. Or flattered. Or smug.
But all I feel is . . . confused.
Lyra leans in, voice low. “Oh, he didnotlike that.”
I swallow hard. “Not helping.”
She grins. “I wasn’t trying to.”
THANE
The sun is barely up, but the heat is already rising. Summer has crept into the air—thick, golden—and we’re readying the horses before the rest of the outpost even stirs.
I check the saddle straps again. Not because I need to. Because it keeps my hands busy. Because she’s behind me—laughing with Lyra, shifting her pack, moving with that quiet determination she’s worn like armor for days.
She’s ready.
Gods help me, she’sready.
And then he shows up.
Kieran.
I see him stop her. See the way her eyes light up. See the easy grin he wears—like he’s not aware, or doesn’t care, that she’s about to do something today that could kill her.
That this day could changeeverything.
I’ve tried.
