He’s been subdued since we landed—not silent, never silent, but thoughtful in a way I’ve rarely seen.
“You’re thinking,” I say.
“Dangerous habit. I try to avoid it.”
“What about?”
He stares into the flickering light for a long moment. It sharpens the angles of his face, turns him from handsome to striking.
“The last time we faced Valdris’s forces.” His voice drops low enough that only I can hear. “What they did to you. What they wanted to use you for.”
My appetite vanishes. I set aside my half-eaten bread.
“We don’t have to talk about it.”
“No. But—“ He turns to face me, and there’s something stripped-bare in his expression. Unguarded. “I wasn’t there. When they took you. When they—“ He stops, jaw tight. “I should have been there.”
“You didn’t even know I existed.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
“The point is—“ He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “The point is that I’m here now. And I’m not letting anything happen to you. Not on this mission. Not ever.”
The words settle into my chest, heavy with meaning. My breath catches.
“That’s a big promise.”
“I’m a big dragon.”
“That’s not—“ I shake my head, fighting a smile. “You can’t just deflect with jokes every time things get serious.”
“Watch me.”
“Rurik.”
“Aisling.” He mimics my tone perfectly. Then his face shifts, growing earnest. “I mean it. Whatever we find at that prison—whatever memories surface—you won’t face it alone. I’ll be right there. Annoying you. Asking if you’re okay every thirty seconds.”
“Fifteen.”
“I’m upgrading to thirty for the prison visit. Special circumstances.”
The laugh escapes before I can stop it. He grins, clearly pleased with himself, and something unfurls in me—tender and terrifying and impossible to ignore.
This ridiculous, impossible man.
“Thank you,” I say. “For being here.”
“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Across the flames, I catch Selene watching us. She raises one eyebrow—a gesture loaded with meaning—and makes a subtle sign with her hand.
Progress.
I pretend not to notice. But I stay close to Rurik.
The nightmare comes without warning.
