“Fine. Do what you want. Just don’t blame me.”
A weight sinks through me as he returns to camp, leaving me alone in the woods. I don’t know how long I linger, hoping I’ll catch Taran when he returns.
He never does.
Chapter 28
Reid
By the time I return to camp, Emlyn has thankfully finished his bath in the creek and gotten dressed. I have zero expectations of Ellie or Taran returning anytime soon, and I’ve reached my limit on what I can deal with for the day. So I shove everything down—my thoughts, frustrations, and even myself—and settle a comfortable distance from the fire. I shut my eyes and wait for sleep to take me.
Which, of course, it doesn’t. Instead, I’m extremely aware of Emlyn sitting down behind me, with maybe a cock’s length between us.
Why, brain? Why?
“Are you alright?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Did you hear everything?”
Emlyn chuckles. “No—my hearing isn’tthatmuch better than yours. But don’t tell Ellie that.” He exhales. “It’s not your fault. You gotta let them make their own choices.”
A cool breeze rustles my hair as I roll over and look up at the sky, the fire crackling nearby. Its orange glow makes it difficult to pick out the stars.
“Why did you even tell Taran to bring Ellie, anyway?” I ask. “Even without his memories, I doubt Caeo would need muchconvincing to leave his mom. She’s always been horrible to him.”
“I know—that was obvious. But I don’t make the decisions. Taran does.”
So I was right. This ishisfault.
Still…
“I can’t help feeling like Caeo will blame me for this.”
“You did your best. You can’t destroy yourself to save them. They shouldn’t expect you to.”
I close my eyes, then reach in his direction, feeling for his hand. He takes it with a reassuring squeeze.
He hasn’t let go by the time I drift to sleep.
* * *
Ellie must’ve returned sometime during the night, as I find her sleeping on the opposite side of the smoking remains of the fire when Emlyn wakes me. Apparently, I curled up against his shoulder in my sleep. It’s cold and he smells like vanilla, dammit.
Taran shows up a while later, a bell or so after dawn based on where the sun’s at. He goes straight to the horses, where Ellie immediately joins him. I try to ignore their conversation, digging through Emlyn’s pack for some food while he tugs his boots on next to me, but every word chafes my eardrums.
“You were gone all night,” Ellie says. “Is everything alright?”
“I wanted some time to myself,” Taran replies.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Why do you always think you did something?”
“Typical fae tactic to avoid the truth—answer a question with a question,” Emlyn whispers to me, his soft hair brushing my shoulder.
Ever since we left Haven, he’s been wearing it down, with some braids in the front to keep it out of his face. It’s an effort to resist the call to my fingers, begging them to run through those blond locks.
“I just… I wanted to talk,” Ellie says.
