He doesn’t turn. “How would you know?”
I shrug, picking some leaves off the hedge. “She’s got Ashton with her. He’s an idiot, but he’s a gifted warrior, as much as I’d never admit that to his face. He’ll keep her safe.”
That gets a grunt out of him. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” I say, and I do. It’s the only thing I’m sure of anymore.
He turns, finally, and looks at me. His face twisted in agony. “You miss her.”
The words hit me so hard I almost laugh. “Of course I do.”
He squints, then says, “You’re not the only one.”
I look away, embarrassed, but I can feel the truth of it settling between us. All three of us want her. None of us know how to say it without it sounding pathetic.
Oberon lets out a slow breath. “Why does it feel like I’m dying inside when I’m away from her?”
Rubbing my chest, I realize that’s exactly how I feel. “I don’t know.”
He’s quiet for a long minute. “We promised to give her back to the human world when this is all done.”
His words knock the air from my lungs.We did, didn’t we.
“Well that can’t happen.”
“We can’t go back on our word,” I explain softly.
“We can make herwantto stay.”
“How?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I don't know. I just know we need to get her back. I need to ease the agony inside of me.”
Cassius speaks up, sounding thoughtful. “One thing we should keep in mind is that it doesn’t sound like she has a lot to go back to. If we make life with us seem more appealing, it might be easy to get her towantto stay.”
He’s right. “We can probably do that better if we stop fighting each other.”
“Maybe,” Oberon says, but I can tell he’s considering our words.
Which is progress.
We wander back to camp. Cassius has built a tiny fire, coaxing flame out of small sticks by sheer force of will. He gestures for us to sit, and we do.
Cassius slowly adds more fuel to the fire. “I think I've created a basic map of the labyrinth.”
“And?” Oberon asks, lifting a brow.
“And I’ve come to the conclusion that while this might be more or less a map of where we’ve traveled so far, add in the fact that the labyrinth is changing, and that magic is involved and, well, this map isn’t the least bit helpful to us.”
“I could’ve told you that hours ago,” Oberon mutters.
“This whole thing is so… frustrating,” Cassius says, actually glaring at the map on the ground.
“It pisses me off,” Oberon adds, glaring himself.
I watch them, and something in me cracks. “You two are the worst at pretending you’re not scared.”
Oberon glares, but there’s no real heat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
