“We won’t.” If he didn’t remember his brash confidence, I’d have to remind him of it. “You’re a battle chief of the Vandar. That means you’re the toughest, most strategic raider of the entire horde. Aside from your boss, I guess. If you hadn’t forgotten this, you’d be telling me that there would be no way we could fail because you are Vandar and big, badass Vandar don’t fail.”
He cocked a dark eyebrow. “Would I have said it like that?”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “Maybe not, but it’s what you would have been thinking.”
“How is it that you know what I would have thought, but I do not?”
There was genuine frustration in his voice, and I let go of my impatience. “I’m good at reading people. You have to be whenyou’re hiding the fact that you’re part of an underground rebellion.”
“And you read me?”
I bobbled my head back and forth. “A bit. I’m not going to lie and tell you I know everything you would have been thinking. We didn’t exactly get close in the brief time before we tried to escape.”
“But you are certain I would have believed we would be successful?”
Now that I was sure of. “You would have been confident even if you had doubts. I don’t think you get to be battle chief by second-guessing yourself.”
He squared his shoulders and gave a sharp nod. “If everything you say is true, then I must be a very talented warrior. I am sure we will escape.”
So much for the unsure version of Kolt. Had I unleashed a monster again?
He walked back to the bench and sat down, patting his lap. “If we are going to escape and be successful, we will both need to be rested.”
I wanted to remind him I hadn’t been the one keeping us both up with questions, but I held my tongue.
“Come,” he said with more force than I’d heard since he’d lost his memory. “Lie down.”
I thought about opting out of sleeping on his lap, but even his muscular thighs would be softer than the metal bench. I lowered myself onto my back and rested my head on his lap again, as he leaned his head against the wall.
Things have taken a very odd turn, I thought as I stole a glance at the striking Vandar with dark scruff dusting his cheeks. I never could have imagined that I’d be sleeping with my head on the battle chief’s lap or that I’d be the one giving him the brash pep talk. And if anyone had told me I’d have kissed him twice, and that one of those times had been my idea, I would have thought they were insane.
But here we were, with me actually thinking that the guy wasn’t so bad after all. And he definitely wasn’t a bad kisser. Quite the opposite.
My cheeks warmed, and I squeezed my eyes shut. No more thinking about the hot Vandar and how well he kissed. As soon as he got all his memories back, he would probably be horrified that he’d kissed a human.
Don’t you dare fall for a guy who isn’t even the authentic version of himself, Skye. There is zero chance he actually wants you.
Somehow this thought wasn’t as comforting as I’d thought it would be.
Chapter
Twelve
Kolt
The first slivers of light slipped through the high grate and cast a warm glow across the stone walls. I’d barely slept. My awareness of Skye asleep on my lap had, no doubt, kept me from resting deeply.
Or maybe it was the awareness that I still couldn’t remember my name without it being told to me or my past. I couldn’t remember any of the things Skye said I’d done, and though I had no reason to doubt her, it was hard not to doubt myself.
If Vandar raiders are so tough, and if I am one of the toughest ones around, then how did one injury rob me of so much? Surely I have been in battle before. I must have taken hits before. How did this one leave me feeling like a stranger in my own body?
I dragged in a deep breath and shifted slightly, my legs tingling after not moving for so long. I’d spent many of the sleepless hours wracking my brain for memories, but I’d only recovered snatches of them and even those danced just out of reach, vaporizing when I attempted to hold them tighter. I released a sigh.
“That bad?”
I looked down at Skye, who was blinking up at me. “What?”
She pushed herself up and twisted her neck from side to side. “You look worse than I feel.”
