“He’d like you, too. Though the idea of the two of you together is slightly terrifying.” Eiri’s cunning, combined with Xan’s impulsive attitude, was enough to make even him shudder a little.
They lapsed into silence, letting the waves flow around them and wash away some of the harsh words that lingered.
“What happened after you talked to him to bring about the change in attitude?” Eiri finally asked.
“Something he said stuck with me. He asked if I truly wanted to spend my life like this, constantly fighting with each other and always having to watch my back. I thought of living the next fifty years like we have the last few weeks and honestly, it exhausted me.”
“Me, too.”
He almost didn’t hear Eiri over the waves, but when he looked over, he found hazel eyes studying him intently.
“Xan also suggested that we actually get to know each other, instead of just resorting to violence.”
“I think I like him a little less,” Eiri said dryly, but there was a touch of amusement to his words.
“I certainly had a few words with him after that,” Syrus agreed. “He, uh… he told me not to talk to him again until I got my head out of my ass.”
Eiri’s laughter was nothing like he’d expected. Light and almost musical, it flowed through him, catching Syrus completely off guard.
“Your cousin sounds a lot like my sister. She prefers herscolding to be a bit more eloquent, but that doesn’t help much. She learned from the best.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister.” Or anything about Eiri’s family beyond his brief interactions at the wedding.
Eiri’s smile turned fond, if a little sad. “Just one. Akari. She’s several years younger than I am and wants nothing more than to see the world beyond the island.”
“She’s welcome to come visit. Despite how we started, you’re not a prisoner here. Your family can come visit any time they’d like.”
“I think I’ll wait a while. Your people are still struggling to adjust to one Canjiri running around the capital. Let’s not overwhelm them with four of us.”
Syrus caught the hint of mockery in Eiri’s words and instinctively bristled, ready to leap to the defense of his countrymen. Then he remembered the look on Marcelle’s face, the inherent distrust when she looked at Eiri, and restrained himself. As much as he hated to admit it, Eiri had a point.
“I certainly haven’t helped either,” he conceded. “I should have made it known that you’re welcome here. The courtiers take their cues from the royal family, and we haven’t made your stay pleasant.”
“No argument from me,” Eiri said. He let out a long sigh, gaze locked on the horizon. “I haven’t made it any easier for you. I’ve been ready for a fight since the moment I stepped off the ship in Lodie.”
Now came the true test. Honestly, Syrus hadn’t expected to make this much progress at all, let alone in one day. Perhaps Eiri was telling the truth and he was just as exhausted by all the fighting as Syrus?
“Is there any chance we could put all of that behind us and start fresh?” he asked. He finally turned so he was facing Eiri directly, watching him as he watched the waves.
“You know that’s far easier said than done,” Eiri said slowly. “We’ve been fighting for years. Our people have been enemies since before our grandparents were born. Just yesterday, we were at each other’s throats. Literally. I’d like to say I can forget all of that and work with you, but…”
“But we haven’t done anything to earn each other’s trust.”
“Exactly.”
“Then we’ll work on it.” Syrus shrugged when Eiri turned to face him. “You have no way of knowing this isn’t some new plot on my part, and I have no way of knowing you’re not concocting some scheme behind my back. We’ll have to earn trust.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Eiri asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t reject the idea outright, at least. If their roles were reversed, Syrus couldn’t say for sure that he’d be as willing to negotiate. He still doubted this would even work, but he couldn’t get Xan’s words out of his head. He couldn’t live the rest of his life like this, and if the only resolution was finding a way to trust the man he’d considered a fierce enemy just yesterday…
“We’ll have to take my cousin’s advice. We’ll have to get to know each other.”
Xan was never going to let him hear the end of this.
Chapter 16
Eiri
Apparently,getting to know each other meant spending the afternoon at the beach. Eiri wasn’t complaining. He’d sorely missed the ocean, even if these weren’t the waters he was used to.
