“You could report me, but you won’t,” he rasps. “I just saved your life and am risking everything so I can helpyouget across the fucking world to reach a place hardly any man has survived.” His grip tightens a bit more, his face mere inches from mine. My heart bangs chaotically in my rib cage. “You turn me in, and you’ll never see your sister again. Do you understand that? Withoutmyhelp, your sister willdie.”
I’m fuming now, my fists clenching tighter.
“Shove those fears aside, Quinlocke, because this is happening whether you like it or not.” He studies my eyes, my nose, my mouth, his breath grazing my skin as my breathing shallows. “I don’t take you for a quitter, so I expect you to follow rule number two and get your ass on that horse before Seferin destroys everything you have left.”
My fists slowly stop clenching with the sudden realization of how much truth rings in his words about Seferin and with how close we are. My chest brushes against him. His presence is powerful, and his fingers on my face make me hyperaware of that. I stupidly look from his eyes to his mouth.
He does the same.
But just as quickly, he releases my face and steps back. I jerk myself away from him and widen the distance between us by stepping back, too. Jaw ticking, he awaits my next move, his irises sparking with warning.
I have two options to choose between.
Option one: report him to the queen, possibly get paid a shit ton of coins, but lose my sister in the process or…
Option two: swallow my good morals, suck it up, stick with him, and save my sister’s life.
I chew on my bottom lip so hard I can feel my teeth piercing the flesh inside of it. I taste blood as I adjust the strap of my rucksack.
I hate admitting it, but he’s right. I’m not a damn quitter. But I’m also not delusional enough to think sticking with a killer likehimis even remotely okay. This goes against everything I stand for. I can be killed just for associating with him.
But this is about more than me and my perception of right and wrong. It’s about my sister’s very survival. I can’t make it to Elphar alone, and if I fail, my only remaining family will die.
I stare at the tree line as the horse huffs next to me. The urge to climb on, dig my heels in, and gallop away hits hard, but I push it down. I’m not a coward, but Iamscared. This isn’t a case of choosing the lesser of two evils. It’s knowingly choosing the greater evil for the greater good.
I shoot a glance at Thane, who is scanning for danger while impatiently waiting for my decision.
It’s decided. From this point forward, there’s no turning back. I’m going to save Analla or die trying. And my best hope—no, myonlyhope is this man. So I climb onto the horse’s back and stiffen my spine as I accept my fate.
Thane evidently senses my resolve because he mounts the horse and sits behind me, his broad chest grazing my back. He lets out a deep sigh and chills run over the nape of my neck. Goose bumps prickle my skin, despite my fury.
Why in the shadows is my body reacting to him? I hate him for what just happened. Hate him for leaving me no choice. Damn it, I hated him from the moment he uttered “fuck off” to me.
Yet, with his chest against my back, his warm thighs wrapped around mine, and his arms reaching past me to control the reins, my heart can’t help but beat a little faster.
Some part of me deep down is intrigued by this man—has been since I first laid eyes on him…and that doesnotsit well with me one bit.
Chapter 11
Being outside of Meriva feels odd. I’ve never left the kingdom since moving there as a child. I never had any reason to, seeing as I had everything I needed.
The gravity of that realization weighs on me as I stand on the other side of the Everwalk. I stare at the towering pillars on the other side of the stone road that are keeping the bridge intact. Fog clouds the area, thick enough to drown the lanterns in murky light.
The Everwalk has been around for ages—famous for its reliability and safety, and commonly used by traveling peddlers in mule-drawn wagons and royals in carriages who require safe passage to Meriva by land.
Many people pass Thane and me as we carry on. None bother us or toss suspicious gazes. Eventually, my shoulders loosen and my breathing relaxes, despite Thane’s nearness—or maybe because of it, which would be ridiculous. He’s a menace. It shouldn’t be possible to feel safe around him.
Thane hardly speaks, and for once, neither do I. All I can think about is the fact that this murderous man is my only saving grace.
If my mother could see me now, she’d laugh and say,“You sure know how to muck things up, Zaira.”
I always do, even when it isn’t intentional. I muck shit up.
Once over the bridge, I breathe a sigh of relief that there weren’t any threats or interruptions along the way.
“This way.” On foot, Thane leads the horse away from the bridge, veering toward a forest instead of taking the cobblestone path lined with more lanterns. I’m certain this path leads to the capital city of Ruvain Kingdom. “We can’t continue traveling at night in this area. We’ll have to find a place to wait until morning.”
I look at him in disbelief. It took us nearly four hours to cross the bridge. We took two short breaks—one so Thane could summon water from the river to hydrate the horse, and another so we could eat. I sat against the wall of the bridge and ate a bit of the bread from Ellanoch while Thane snacked on strips of dried meat. Both of us avoided looking at each other.
