Walking uphill on uneven ground was not ideal, but Lora knew it would only get more challenging once they had to climb. She tried to match Eyden’s confident, fast steps.
The path became too narrow to walk side by side so she followed a bit behind. Her eyes scanned the ground as she tried her best not to trip. Every now and then, her gaze would travel up to Eyden, fixating on the back of his head as unsaid words haunted her mind.
“Do you have something to say?” Eyden asked as he looked over his shoulder and caught her staring.
Lora considered how to best phrase the question. Deciding to spit it out, she asked in a gentle voice, “What happened to your mother?”
She saw pain flash across his face before Eyden focused on the path ahead once more. “No more questions.”
“Why?”
He didn’t slow down or turn around. “Didn’t we establish that we don’t trust each other?”
He was throwing her own words back at her. Lora might have said something similar only a few days ago, but it felt as if it had been longer. She had been pulled further into the fae world than she had planned. Lora was certain it would be an impending regret, but she couldn’t help herself.
Shoving that worry away, she asked, “Why did you tell me her name at all, then?”
“Temporary insanity?”
“Are you sure it’s not constant insanity?” Lora replied, hiding her smile.
Eyden shook his head lightly. “I’m not the one insane enough to cross over to a completely different world.” The coldness of his voice was slowly melting.
“Well, I don’t gamble for people’s lives,” Lora retorted.
“I can always leave you for dead next time if you prefer.” She couldn’t see his expression but Lora liked to imagine a mischievous grin was plastered on his face.
The path became steeper and Eyden slowed down as he braced himself against the stone wall next to them. Lora followed his example. “You already know too much anyway. You know more about me than I do about you,” Eyden said when the path eased up.
Lora searched her memory. He was probably right, but even so, it wasn’t her fault alone. “You haven’t really asked me anything that’s not related to my secret.”
“I didn’t think you’d tell me.”
“Here’s your chance. Ask away.” The words left her mouth before she fully realised what she’d said.
Eyden didn’t take any time to question her offer. “How old are you?” he asked.
She couldn’t withhold the smile as he repeated her question. “I turned twenty-four this month.”
Lora thought he might stop there but he barely paused before he asked, “Besides your mother, who else did you leave behind?”
“The rest of my family. My friends.”
“That’s very vague. Who are you messaging every day with your phone device?”
She narrowed her eyes even though he couldn’t see it, recalling all the vague answers he’d given her since she met him. Lora decided to answer anyway, intrigued where this conversation would lead. “My parents, my brother, and my best friend.”
“You’re close with your parents?”
“I’d like to say so. My mum married my dad when I was four years old. He’s been a father to me ever since. We’ve always gotten along well.” A sense of homesickness sneaked into her heart. What did her parents think now that she’d been gone for days? Were they losing faith in her?
Eyden’s voice brought Lora back to Liraen. “Is he not your biological father?”
Not the direction she wanted this conversation to go, but she said, “He’s my father in every other way that matters.”
“What about your birth father?”
Take a hint.Then she remembered how Eyden avoided the topic of his mother. Maybe if she opened up a bit more, he’d tell her. “I’ve never met him. He wasn’t interested in being my father.”
