People were looking at me from down below, but I paid them no mind. My heart was rushing, racing in my chest, and I felt excitement and hope and relief crash over me like a wave.
He’s okay. He’s safe. He’s here,I thought. Over and over again.
I’d found him.
I rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping.
Kyndri’s gaze jerked up from behind the bar, frowning. “What are you?—”
“I’ll be right back!” I rushed out, the words tumbling from me, and I flew through the entrance of the inn, taking a sharp right and sprinting down the road.
He was still there, still looking around. A frown on his features.
“Luc!” I called, grinning, happy tears making my vision blurry. “Luc, I’m here!”
His gaze finally connected with mine. For a moment, he blinked, confused. Then realization slotted into place.
“Erina?” he asked, his eyes widening. “Gods, how are?—”
But I cut him off, nearly knocking him off his feet when I barreled into him.
His arms came around me as I clung to him. He smelled briny, like the sea, and he was leaner than I remembered. But his embrace was most welcome even though I hadn’t hugged him since he’d left Vyaan. It had been almost ten years. Ten years since I’d seen him last.
I squeezed his clothes between my fists. “I’ve been looking for you. I feared…I thought…”
But I descended into sobs, and Luc only tried to calm me down.
“I’m sorry—I’m sorry,” I whispered.
But I couldn’t stop the tears. I was just so relieved. I didn’t know how long we stood in the middle of the street, in broad daylight, as dozens and dozens of people milled around us, staring.
But I didn’t care.
Luc was here.
Maybe my luck had finally turned.
CHAPTER 27
ERINA
“Ican’t believe you’re really here,” Luc said, over a swiftly emptying jug of brew.
I’d opted for a sweet juice, given my new aversion to brew. We were at Kyndri’s Landing, at one of the back tables I’d wiped down just earlier that afternoon. It was slow and quiet after the initial afternoon rush, so Kyndri had allowed me some time off when I told her I’d seen an old friend. But once the workers started coming in, she needed the table back.
“It’s been…six years? Seven?” Luc asked.
“Ten,” I corrected with a soft smile, gazing at him. “Almost ten.”
Something flashed over his face. I was trying to match up the pieces of the Luc I’d known with the older male in front of me now.
Truthfully, I was failing. There were pieces of Luc I recognized, like the way his eyes crinkled up when he smiled. Or the way he said certain words, like how he elongated theasound in Vyaan.
But much of him had changed. His gray skin looked stretched tight over him, new scars having appeared along hisarms and one long one that ran beneath his tunic around his neck. His eyes were still a lovely blue, but he couldn’t quite meet mine for very long. His hands were no longer smooth. They were calloused and rough, the back of his knuckles scarred.
I took his hand in mine, squeezing. “It’s been a long time,” I said, uncertainly. “But we found each other.”
“You look the same, Erina,” Luc told me. He drained the contents of his jug, raising his hand to catch Kyndri’s attention for another round. He’d had two already, and when Kyndri brought the third, Luc swallowed a good mouthful before saying, “You haven’t changed at all.”
