The hilt of a sword starts at the top of his spine and slopes downward just for the tip of the blade to end at the small of his back. Swirls of black ink wrap around the blade like whispers of smoke. In the center of the blade are the lettersSandG. The letters are stacked, the bottom curve of theSbleeding into theGand ending with more swirls. It takes me a second to realize the whispers of smoke are meant to be shadows. And the sword is the letterT.
The Shadow Guild.
I have to look really close to make out the blend of the letters. But I’m not mistaken. I try to swallow as Thane glances over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Whatever Maliek used went straight through his body, so I grab the vial again, dribbling some more liquid onto the towel before rubbing it on his wound.
When I’m done, he rests on his back again and sighs as he tugs his tunic down.
“So just a heads-up, you should try and be still so you can heal faster. Xiaodera—the queen—is not a fan of yours. And Algar and I think Maliek will come back. If he shows up at Immalonian borders trying to attack, she won’t hesitate to feed you to the wolves, so to speak.”
He shifts on the bed. “Maliek won’t be coming back.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I drove my sword into his heart and threw his body into the rapids before the bridge collapsed. He’s likely at the bottom of the waterfall now, food for the fish…or the monsters. Whatever deems him appetizing enough.”
“Oh.” He has no idea how much relief this brings me. “Are you sure?”
He looks me in the eye with certainty and says, “He’sdead, Zaira.”
“Okay.” I release a steady breath. “I still think we should leave here as soon as possible.”
“We will.” He studies me as I study him. There are so many things I want to ask. So many things I want him to explain.
He frowns. “I don’t like when you look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m fragile.”
I shift closer. “Is it possible that you are?”
“Far from it,” he grumbles.
“Broken, then?” I offer.
He swivels his gaze to the ceiling.
“Thane, I know you think we should keep things on the surface, but you can talk to me.” I grab his hand and hold on to it, collecting his attention again. “I think it’s ridiculous that you chose your line of work, and I think I’m ridiculous for embarking on this journey…and hiring you to accompany me…but that makes us both a little ridiculous. But, as ridiculous as this all is, I mean what I say. Youcantalk to me. I’m a pretty good listener and would never tell anyone your secrets.”
He looks at me a beat longer before lowering his eyes to our hands. His thumb strokes my knuckles. “I don’t want you putting too much faith in me, Zaira.”
“Why? Because you don’t want me to care about your well-being when you happen to kill for a living?”
“Precisely.”
“Well,” I sigh. “I think it’s too late for that.”
“Why?”
“It’s kind of hard for menotto care about a person I’ve been traveling with for days who has saved my life on multiple occasions. I think you’re starting to care about my well-being, too. That’s why you keep trying to push me away.”
“It’s my duty to keep you safe,” he says. “And I keep a distance because it’ll be easier for us to part ways when this journey ends. There’ll be nothing left to cling to. Trust me on that.”
I can’t deny that. Even if I decided I wanted to be with Thane and he decided to change his life, he’d still be a wanted man. What kind of future would that be for us?
But, for the briefest moment, as his thumb sweeps over the back of my hand and our eyes connect, I can imagine that future.
