He blinks as if he can’t quite believe it, then clasps my wrist, this time not to push me away, but to hold me there.
“Is this where you take all your victims, thief?”
“Only the ones I really want to torment,” I reply with a rueful grin. “Truthfully, I haven’t brought anyone here before. It’s a place I come when I need to get away from it all. To ground myself, I guess. Hadria’s always full of people, noise, chaos…but no one else has found this little spot yet.”
“Why me?”
“I mean, you’re from Autumn. Not as if you’ll be here long,” I say quickly, but the real reason sits heavy in my gut.Because I thought you’d like it.
He steps away from me then and runs a hand through his hair. “You’re right. The Autumn Realm awaits.”
I force out a laugh and grab his arm. “But that’s tomorrow’s problem. Remember, there is one last thing I want to show you. We’re still a long way from dawn.”
4
Farron
I’ve seen more new and incredible things in one night than in the whole last decade of my life. But none are so incredible as the man sitting next to me. A mystery that, for once, I’m not rushing to uncover.Who are you? Why are you showing me all these places? Does your heart nearly beat out of your chest when you look at me like when I look at you?
For now, those questions can wait.
At least until the sun rises.
We sit on the morning-cold sand, toes buried deep. Around us, the Summer Realm begins to awaken. Farther down the beach, fishermen make their way to small skiffs. Bustling noises drift in from the city as the markets set up.
Soon, I’ll have to find my way back to Soltide Keep and face all the consequences and judgment of my mother. The High Princess of Autumn and High Prince of Summer certainly wouldn’t like me spending time with this ruffian. It would not be a match they’d approve of.
I sigh and lean forward over my knees, running a hand through my hair. What am I thinking? Match? I’m never going to see Day after tonight.
“Hey, look.” Day’s fingers brush the nape of my neck, and he draws my gaze upward.
The first hints of dawn paint the sky in delicate hues of pink and lavender. There’s a crispness in the air, and the faint scent of salt and seaweed. Waves gently lap the shore.
“I don’t want to return,” I whisper.
“Then don’t.”
I turn and realize he’s been watching me the entire time with that piercing turquoise gaze.
“Everyone has some idea of what my future is supposed to be,” I say. “If I dare voice something different, it’s met by closed ears.”
“Tell me about it,” Day says. “If anyone knew I was out here withyou,then I’d be deader than a fish in a net.”
“Really?” I say. “I can’t imagine you letting anyone tell you what to do.”
“If my family had their way, I’d be married off to a boring, snobby crybaby.”
My stomach churns at the thought of him with someone else. Which is ridiculous. But when my fingers glided over his skin earlier, it was like I put a claim on him. The sun’s rays peek above the horizon, making the faded blue lines on Day’s chest appear golden. I could have touched him for a thousand years, memorized every muscle, every dip of hard flesh.
“Instead, you’re out here with boring old me,” I murmur.
“You’re anything but boring, Fare.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I just want to exist in the moment, instead of being caught up in thoughts of the future.”
“I’ve never been able to think like that.”
“Why not start now?”
“It’s not that simple.” How can I explain that my decisions affect an entire realm? He’d never understand.
