“Let’s go,” I say sharply.
Adrian’s eyes cut to me, a mixture of pain and fury in his gaze. His mouth closes, realizing that saying something isnotin our best interest right now. He lets out a quick huff and rights himself on his horse, spine straight and jaw set.
I mount Misty, and Graylen follows suit, settling himselfbehind me on the long saddle. He shifts his hips forward and wraps his arms around me to rest on my thighs.
It eases some of the tension in my limbs, my body melting against his ever so slightly.
We trot away from King’s Border, the chatter of the town disappearing behind us as we take a narrow, worn path deeper into the woods.
“The people shouldn’t gossip,” Adrian mumbles over his shoulder from in front of us.
I roll my eyes.Hispeople were left without word on where their king went and why Wyman is ruling in his place.
“Yourpeoplewouldn’t have to speculate if they had stayed in the castle,” I bite back.
Even from back here, I can see the tips of his ears turn pink as he adjusts himself in his saddle.
Graylen squeezes my right thigh, his fingers pressing warmth into it. The hollowness in his gaze has dissipated since last night, but I’m starting to wonder how real that is—if he’s masking his pain for me.
“Telling a fool to not be foolish will only frustrate the wise,”Graylen murmurs into my thoughts, a hint of amusement dancing in his words that doesn’t reach his eyes.
I half-smile, unable to conjure up a laugh.
We wait until the sun is beginning to set to make camp at a small stream for the night, an awkward silence settling as we unpack the supplies we bought in King’s Border.
The woods here aren’t like Penyth—the lush and growing forest I left to be here, surrounded by brittle trees and dead leaves.
Earlier, the warmth of the sun melted away the tension between us, our light conversation making me wonder if last night was just a fluke. But as the sun sinks lower, Graylen begins pacing quietly.
His hands go from slipping into his pockets to hovering out by his sides, then back into his pockets briefly before pullingthem out again. Restlessness radiates off him as his shoulders draw up.
I watch him lost in his thoughts, growing more and more anxious as the sunlight fades. It makes me wonder what he associates with the night now, and my stomach churns.
“Care to help us with the fire, Aegis?” I try light-heartedly, hoping to ease him away from whatever thoughts he’s trapped in.
Graylen stiffens at the name, his jaw clenching briefly. He relaxes his face almost instantly, smoothing out his brows and nodding.
My stomach sinks.“Are you okay?”I send into his mind. While I’m still afraid of him shutting me out, I need him to know I’m here for him. I’m not going anywhere, even if he won’t open up to me. That is, unless he decides he doesn’t want me anymore.
My hands tremble. I clench them into fists so he doesn’t notice.
He glances at me, expression guarded.“I will be.”
Our eyes lock, gazes saying more than we can find the words for. Like a string pulling taut between us, we lean in toward each other slightly. He reaches up, the back of his fingers brushing against my cheek and sending heat skittering through my body.
My eyes drift down to his mouth, desperate to feel his warmth.
We draw closer together, but then Graylen pauses. His eyes briefly close, and his nostrils flare. My heart hammers in my chest as he leans away, his gaze falling to the grass beneath our feet.
Adrian clears his throat, but my eyes stay on Graylen.
“Uh, I’ll water the horses so I don’t interrupt,” Adrian mumbles, his footsteps fading as he walks Misty and Rex to the stream. Little does Adrian know that there was nothingtointerrupt. The thought stings more than I imagined it would.
Graylen moves first, bending over the wood we gathered inthe center of camp. He raises his hand, focusing harder than usual to spark flames. He glances at me over his shoulder, noticing me watching.
“It’s harder here,”he explains—as if we didn’t just almost kiss, and he didn’t pull away.“Like my magic is further from reach.”
He looks up at me. With the sun now hidden behind the horizon, the flames allow shadows to dance across his angular face.
