“When was the last time you slept?” Saoirse asked.
“We’re not talking about me,” Zylah countered with a stern look. Saoirse still noted the dark circles beneath the female’s eyes. “What’s going on in your head? I’ve never seen you so …” she paused, searching for the right word, “down.”
A myriad of agonizing images assaulted Saoirse’s mind, flooding through her all at once. Cruel visions of Máili’s death. The way her lips had curled back from her teeth due to an invisible inferno. The way blood had leaked from her eyes, her nose, choking the female’s screams.
Even crueler voices blamed Saoirse for the same death. They told her it could have been easily prevented. Saoirse hadn’t been fast enough. She hadn’t been strong enough. But cruelest of all was her inner voice, telling her she was nothing more than a failure.
Zylah’s hand rested on Saoirse’s knee. “You’re doing it again.”
Saoirse loosed an unsteady breath. “I watched you fall.” Her gaze dropped. “I thought—” She clenched her fists. “You pulled on the bond.”
Zylah shrugged. “Given our circumstances, it was the fastest way to find you.”
“You were scared.” Saoirse’s breath trembled. She clenched her fists. “You were afraid and calling for me. When I saw you go over the edge,” her voice cracked and the wall holding her emotions at bay nearly shattered with it. “I thought—”
Zylah pressed one fingertip to Saoirse’s lips. “I have my magic. You don’t have—” Saoirse caught her wrist and dragged her close. She slid one hand behind Zylah’s head and buried her face in the crook of her neck. Zylah’s breath hitched and the female froze. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t reciprocate.
Saoirse didn’t care. She just needed to breathe her in once. She just had to remind herself that Zylah was alive and her nightmares couldn’t take that away. “I know you hate me,” she said against Zylah’s skin. “I know you’ll always hate me. I know when all this is over, you want a life far away from here—away from all this.” She pulled Zylah closer. “I just want to give you the chance to live it. I want to see you smile. I want to see you free.”
The room—no—the world had fallen silent. Saoirse wasn’t sure she’d ever get the image of Zylah falling out of her head, nor the scent of Zylah’s fear. Not just the physical scent, but the way it had shot straight down that bond, directly into Saoirse’s soul. Saoirse could handle the hate. She could even handle Zylah putting a knife in her back if that were her ultimate wish, but to lose her—to know the female was calling and Saoirse couldn’t make it. That was a burden too great to bear.
Tentatively, Zylah wrapped one arm around Saoirse’s back. The other followed. Saoirse just held her. The female was too generous for Saoirse’s own good.
“I’m not your responsibility,” Zylah whispered.
Saoirse laughed, her ribs aching with the movement. “Just because you don’t want to be doesn’t mean you aren’t.”
A bite of anger trickled down the bond, but it quickly dissipated. “I’ll never be rid of you, will I?” Saoirse laughed again, relishing in the feel of Zylah’s soft skin. Then a sob escaped from somewhere deep in her chest. It took her too long to rein those emotions back in. Zylah just held her.
“No,” Saoirse finally said when she could speak properly. “I’ll disappear as promised. As soon as this is all over and you’re safe.” She paused briefly. “But if you’re ever in trouble. Should you ever call, I’ll be there. Always.”
“Why are Fae so dramatic?” The words didn’t have the bite Saoirse was sure Zylah intended. Zylah placed her hands in Saoirse’s hair, running her fingers through the strands.
“What are you doing now?” Saoirse asked, her voice raw.
“Checking to see if you hit your head.”
A lie, and they both knew Saoirse could scent it.
But it seemed neither cared.
Chapter Eight
Arianna
Arianna had dressed, changed, and now sat in the living area with Ellie across from her. Ellie’s young face was gaunt, the skin stretched too far across her cheekbones. She’d eaten again, thank the gods, but only thanks to The Demon’s prodding.
Arianna clenched her fists. Why him? She hated him. Gods above, she hated him with every fiber of her being. What had they done to Ellie that would result in her only obeying that creature’s demands? Was it because of Gavin?
Her gaze wandered toward the male. He never left Ellie’s side. From an onlooker’s perspective, he displayed nothing but concern. But what if it was a mask? What if he was the one preventing Ellie from telling her the truth?
Arianna wanted to escape from these people, travel the road on her own with Ellie at her side. No one would turn The Divine away.
She relaxed her hands, letting her fingertips splay over her thighs. No, that had been a stupid plan from the start. Vairik had eyes everywhere. He was likely the one who’d formed the factions that wanted her dead. Yet another obstacle in her path. The only thing she’d accomplish by stealing her sister and running would be to put them both in even more danger. Her best course of action, no matter how much she was loath to admit it, was to stick with these people until they were safe in Nàdair.
She prayed that was actually where they were headed.
Talon had laid out a map earlier, and she’d studied it alongside him, memorizing the landscape and landmarks that would guide her to Brónach’s capital city. She wouldn’t follow their lead blindly. Arianna knew how to find her own way. Talonhad taught her as much. By memorizing the landmarks, she’d be able to tell if they diverted from the correct path. But even if they did, what would she do? Whatcouldshe do?
