“Suppose you’re right.” Algar swings his gaze to Rynthea. “Do we even know what’s on the other side of this mountain, Ryn?”
As Rynthea fishes out a map from her rucksack, I slow my pace to match Thane’s. When the group is a short distance ahead of us and the guards several steps behind, I look at him.
“Donotstart with me,” he grumbles, side-eyeing me.
“I’m not starting anything. Just trying to make sure you’re okay.”
“Would be a whole lot better if your little prince wasn’t tagging along.”
“Thane.” He catches the sharpness in my tone, and his chin lowers. When his eyes latch onto mine, he stares into them for several seconds before finally looking away. I want to reach for his hand and hold it in mine but think better of it.
He sighs. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Itdoesmatter,” I counter in a lower voice, hoping no one up ahead will hear. “You lost yourbrother, Thane. That matters a lot.”
“Just stop.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about him last night?”
“Not right now, Zaira.”
“Yes,right now,” I insist. “This is important information, is it not? Why hide it? It’s good that I know now because it all makes sense—why you want the tome and why you want to increase your power.”
His jaw steels. “Just drop it.”
He speeds up his walk again. I scurry to catch up with him. The mountain is finally sloping downward. We’re getting closer to the other side.
“Did Seferin murder your brother?” I ask, catching up to him.
He’s about to pause but keeps his stride steady as he shakes his head.
“If you don’t talk about it and keep bottling it up, it’ll make you rotten inside, Thane.”
I notice one of his fists clenching. This time, hedoesstop walking. One of the guards almost bumps into him, but the guard catches himself and scowls at us before continuing his trek.
Up ahead, I notice the others have rounded a slight curve in the mountain. They’re nearing the bridge.
Thane turns around and slowly closes the gap between us.
I back away from him, then feel the heel of my foot come perilously close to the edge of the mountain. My heart pounds when all I see below me are rocky cliffs and lush treetops. There would be no surviving a fall like that.
“Look, I don’t need your pity,” he starts. “Right now, all we need to do is focus on making it to Elphar so we both can get what we want. This thing between us,” he says, gesturing back and forth with his hand, “shouldn’t get any deeper because once it’s all over, you’ll never see me again.”
My foot slips, and I gasp.
He clutches my arm and whirls me around, placing my back against the safer side of the mountain.
His body presses against mine as he holds me against the jagged mountainside, and as he regards me, my pulse quickens.
“You started this journey despising everything about me, Zaira.” He studies every feature of my face, starting with my eyes, lowering to my nose, then my lips and chin. “I encourage you not to forget who and what I really am. I’m no good for a person like you, and definitely won’t be after this journey is over.”
“What if I don’t despise you anymore?” I ask in a softer voice.
His hand circles my waist before skating up my spine. I feel it press to the back of my head and tug on my ponytail to angle my chin upward. As he hovers his mouth over mine, my breathing shallows. That silly heart of mine races faster.
Suddenly, I’m eager—desperate to know what he’ll do next.
Desperate for him to kiss me once again.
