“But—”
“Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be fine.” His eyes dipped to my lips, then he winked. “Unless you’re inviting me into your bed for the night.”
My entire face flamed with the heat of a thousand bonfires. “Is that what you want? I mean—”
Laughing, he tucked his knuckle beneath my chin. “I’m only joking, darling. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, and I’d probably do some of them again. But one thing I’d never do is pressure a woman into going to bed with me. So good night, Lilia. I’ll see you in the morning.”
His touch vanished from my skin, and he started toward the door. Words were on the tip of my tongue. It didn’t feel right for him to stay out in the wet cold, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask him to share my bed, either. I’d never shared my bed with anyone.
But still, I called out, “Ragnar.”
Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice softening. “For searching the storm for me, and for giving up your room.”
He smiled. “It was my pleasure.”
And then he was gone. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or to kick myself for not having the courage to ask him to stay.
16
LILIA
Aheavy fog blanketed the town, smudging the buildings. Through the haze, a ball of yellow climbed higher into the sky. In a few hours, it would burn the mist away. Ragnar and I traipsed along the muddy path that led to the east, where we’d follow the twisting road down to the sea. It would take us a couple of hours to reach the small cluster of buildings along the coast, but Nilsa had packed us plenty of provisions.
“You need all the energy you can get if you’re going to confront old Ivar,” she’d said before shooing us out the door.
Despite the chilly start to the day, Ragnar wore an indigo vest that accentuated his muscular shoulders and the bracers wrapped around his forearms. He’d tucked the back end of the vest into his trousers, where a lump sat.
When we started across the rolling field toward the coast, I finally asked the question that had been on my tongue since the moment he’d sidled into the taproom that morning, carrying a hint of danger and fury in his eyes. “What are you hiding beneath your vest?”
“Hiding? Who, me?” A wicked smirk curved his lips. “I would never do such a thing.”
“We have rules on this island. And you’re breaking the most important one. No weapons.”
He cut his eyes toward me, slinging his hands into his trouser pockets. “Says the girl with something hidden in her own back waistband.”
As if in answer, the soft leather sheath scraped against my back as I walked. I’d unpacked it just before we’d left, revelling in the way the pale morning light glinted across the blade. I didn’t know the first thing about fighting, but the weight of it made the anxious tremor of my heart slow down.
“It’s just to give me a little courage,” I said with a shrug. “I have no plans to use it. Because if I did, they’d ship me off to the mines over in the Glass Peaks. If you lost your temper and did something stupid, they’d send you, too.”
And we wouldn’t be the first people subjected to that punishment from the island. I’d seen a couple of lawbreakers sent there with my own eyes. And while the dwarven mountains were rich with beauty, I was partial to a life spent surrounded by fresh air, sunshine, and even the winds of the Elding, rather than the deep dark of the mines.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Ragnar. “You ever been there?”
“To the Glass Peaks?”
He nodded. “I’ve never visited dwarven mines before, but I hear they’re quite spectacular.”
“I’ve been a few times. They have a yearly event I try to attend if I can make it across the sea in time. A big competition to find the fittest under the mountain. It’s incredible to watch.” I smiled, the fog parting before us. “But even the mountains themselves are incredible. I love watching the sunset there. The colors are like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else.”
“We’ll have to go there one day.”
My feet slowed, scuffing the path. “We?”
“I need a tour guide, don’t I? Someone to show me around, so I don’t get lost. Who better than the lass who spends her life on the road?”
I drew in a sharp breath, subtly casting a glance at Ragnar. The haze had finally burned away, and the sunlight streamed across his face, catching the vibrant color of his hair. He strode purposely beside me with his arms relaxed by his sides, like this was nothing more than a simple conversation. But it didn’t feel so simple, not to me. It felt like the start of something bigger—like the slightest of cracks had spiderwebbed through my protective walls.
