He looked at me more intently then. “You could hear his thoughts—his actual thoughts?”
“Hear, feel, and see, yes. I’m not in control of myself when he taps into me, and it’s almost like the power flowing between us leaks the information back to me somehow.” I shook my head, trying to dispel the memories, but they wouldn’t stop, terror kicking in at random intervals.
“How did we end up here, at the lake?” He asked with curiosity and perhaps even awe.
“Honestly, Tarrin, I have no idea. I’m not even sure how we’re alive right now.”
He heaved a sigh, then reached over and handed me the water-filled sheath. I greedily drank down its contents.
“Tarrin?” My voice was more vulnerable than I’d ever heard it before. “What do we do now?” I asked.
He closed his eyes and his head made a soft thud against his backrest as he tilted his face toward the stars. “I don’t know.”
That raw truth settled in me. I knew then that I did have a newbaseline, as he’d recommended, but the bar had been lowered. Should it slip down further, it would be nearly impossible to bend to its demands without breaking.
Chapter 49
Twisted Flames
As anticipated, Tarrin and I had no choice but to huddle together for warmth as the night grew colder and the fire died down. Even though it was the peak of summer, this place, with its towering, white-tipped mountains and glacier-fed lake, was possibly the coldest place we could’ve been dumped this time of year—at least in the human realm. We should’ve counted ourselves lucky that we hadn’t ended up in the Winter Court.
I let out a soft, dark chuckle, the sound tinged with weary irony.
“Are you okay?” Tarrin’s sleep-filled voice asked.
“Yes, just quietly laughing to myself,” I said through a sigh. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“What could you possibly have to laugh about?” he asked, amused.
“I was just thinking how it could always be worse—we could’ve ended up in the Winter Court.”
The twin version of my own chuckle escaped him, albeit much louder. “Stars, Ny, I don’t think anyone gives your humor enough credit.”
“They would have to get it first, and that would entail thembeing as royally fucked as I am. Ha!Royallyfucked!” A pained fit of laughter shook me until tears built. I had to sit up to catch my breath, only to laugh, and wince, some more. “Royally fucked,” I repeated as a fresh bout of laughter ripped out of me. “Oh gods.” I wiped the tears from my eyes as I continued to laugh. “That’s funny. It has so many meanings.” The last words were more laughter than anything. Tarrin sat up beside me, powerless against the contagion as he gave in to fits of his own.
My breaths slowed, laughter leaving me. “Royally fucked,” I whispered as the humor dissipated, and the truth felt heavy once more.
I threw a look over my shoulder toward Tarrin, silently asking the question I’d voiced last night:What are we going to do?
His lips pursed, letting me know he knew exactly what I was feeling, then he put an arm around me and pulled me in, resting his chin on my head.
“In other news, you sat up on your own, so there’s that,” Tarrin said, clearly mocking the sentiments I’d shared at dinner.
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” I said. “Breaking through one dangerously low bar at a time.” The soft laughter coursing through his body reverberated against mine, soothing the fears that wanted license to roam free.
I gathered the skirt-turned-blanket and got dressed. Although I still couldn’t manage it on my own, the pain was no longer crippling, and I didn’t have to rely as heavily on Tarrin.
“You should rest for at least another day before we go anywhere,” Tarrin said as he held me steady while I dressed. I couldn’t help but notice him glancing toward my chest.
I looked down, understanding why. My shirt wasn’t stained with blood; it was covered in it, so much so that as I scraped some of it off with a fingernail, reddish-brown flakes floated down, carried away a gentle breeze.
“You’re probably right,” I said. “I hadn’t realized I’d lost this much blood, and I still feel weak.”
Tarrin crinkled his features but said nothing. What else could he possibly offer? I’m sure I looked like I’d been trampled by a herd of wild horses, which was fitting because I felt like it too.
“Tarrin? What are we going to do?”
He stilled as if holding his breath, and I searched his features to understand what it meant. I found a mixture of pained resolve in his golden-brown eyes.
