“I know this is a lot to ask, but do you think we can, like,notbe in separate rooms?”
His brow furrows as he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. It’s been a long day.
“It’s just that we’re so close to Ruvain, and this is unknown territory for me. I won’t really be able to sleep if I’m in this room by myself. We don’t have to talk—and I’ll be on the opposite side, as far away from you as possible. You can even sleep closer to the fire if you want so you can stay all warm and cozy.”
He sweeps his eyes around the room that’s already swimming with comforting heat.
“Come on,” I tease, smiling. “You know you want to.”
“I really don’t.” He draws in a reluctant breath and then exhales, eyes closed, practicing that patience again. “Fine. Whatever gets you to relax.”
I ignore the relief and mini wave of excitement coursing through me. Excitement is the last thing I should feel about us sleeping in the same room. But if I wake up and he has stuck around, does that mean I’ll be able to trust his word a bit more?
I suppose we’ll see.
Thane ambles in and closes the door.
Dropping my rucksack, I lower into a squat and dig through it. I pull out a quilt as well as a shawl. As I begin spreading the quilt out on the side of the room farthest from the fire, Thane clears his throat.
“Take the spot near the fire,” he insists.
I look from the flames to him. “Are you sure? I don’t mind being over here…”
He gestures to the area with a simple nod.
I collect my things and spread the quilt out next to the wall where I can feel the heat. I now realize my teeth are chattering. I wonder if he’s noticed, and that’s why he’s offered me the spot.
That’s…niceof him.
Oddly, he doesn’t seem to be cold at all.
I settle onto the quilt. It smells like Analla’s perfume—sweet florals and lavender. I may or may not have taken it out of her room because I didn’t want to dirty mine. Who cares? If I save her life, she’ll owe me more than a pleasantly scented quilt.
I remove my bodice, tuck it under my head, and lie down while Thane takes up the corner on the other side of the room across from the window. A few silent seconds tick by as I listen to the fire roar. I’m getting warm, but not warm enough. I wrap the quilt tighter around me just as the flames in the hearth grow bigger and brighter.
I shift my focus to Thane,whose eyes flash gold while staring at the fire, then dim softly.
“Thanks,” I whisper.
He bends his legs and rest his elbows on his knees, peering out the only window in the room.
“So…Valkor?” I adjust my head to see him fully. “Is that your first or last name?”
He remains quiet.
“How did you even get into the whole sorcerer-assassin thing anyway? I keep thinking about it, and unless there’s a super-secret society lingering around, it doesn’t make sense. You know people can take one look at you in action and report you based on suspicions, right? Are you not worried about that?”
Again, nothing.
“Who is Maliek? Is he a shadow assassin, too? Or just someone wanting to collect a bounty?”
That garners me a side-eye, but still, his mouth remains shut.
“Okay, well what about Seferin?” I prod.
His jaw steels.
“When I said his name at the Tilted Crystal, you reacted to it. You seemed to get angry about it, so I assume you don’t like him much, either—especially if you’re willing to risk your life to help me get a stone. Is this going to be one bigfuck youto him once we get it and save Analla?”
