“I don’t care about the sun-damned corset.” He unhooked the fur at my shoulders to find the remnants of Demyan’s attack stamped around my neck. His eyes flashed with fire. “That was reckless,” he said softly, thumb stroking across my throat.
“Breaking into a prison? Don’t pretend it’s any more reckless than something you would do. You're welcome, by the way.”
His mouth stretched with a small smirk. “Are you all right?”
“Perfect. Ready to take on the entirety of the Rivean army,” I wiped dried blood from my nose, glancing around. The ash trees grew dense as they traveled into distant foothills, thicker still as we neared the mountains, lending the name of the Rivean city just outside the mountain pass.
Mesto Popola, The City of Ash.
I took a step, then dropped into shaggy grass on legs that felt like jellyfish, my bones stabbing into my own muscles like knives.
Kye unstrapped his new bedroll from Sero’s saddle, unfurling it beside me, and I climbed on, listening to the sounds of the forest. The cheeps and clicks of small animals scurrying through branches, the rustle of silver ash leaves shifting overhead.
“We’re not far enough from the road to risk a fire until it's completely dark,” he said apologetically.
“It’s fine.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No. I want sleep.”
Kye settled onto his bedroll beside me. “Thirsty?” As if he’d known my answer, he offered a canteen to me, studying me in silence.
I gave him a small smile. “How much did you see?”
“The bolt that struck the captain from his feet? None.” He frowned at the hand he’d hit the guard with, flexing his fingers slowly. “I completely missed it.”
“Did you hurt your wrist when you punched him?”
“Well. It didn’t fucking tickle.”
I bit back a tired smile. “Want me to wrap it for you?”
“It’s fine.”
“Can you even use your sword with that hand?”
“Probably not. Want to wear it for me?” He raised a brow, but the humor in his voice lit something within my pride.
I shrugged as though I’d worn swords plenty of times before. “I could.”
Dark laughter danced in his golden stare. He plucked the baldric from the grass, fitting the straps on my shoulders. I closed my eyes, ignoring the sear of his fingertips as he pulled across me to tighten the buckles at my back, the width of his chest spread across my shoulders and beyond them. “How much are you going to ask me to explain?”
Kye leaned away to examine me, hiding a smile and crossing his arms. “How much are you willing to?”
“Very little.” I ran my fingers through my hair, eager to tie the length back with a braid, determined to ignore the weight the sword added to my body.
“Did he hurt you?”
“Who?” I raised my brows. “The weevil writhing on the floor when the guards opened the door? No.”
“Did he pull the laces out of this?” Kye asked, reaching to grasp the edge of my dress. I’d re-laced it on the road to escape the chill of the wind.
“No, I did.” I watched his long fingers run the length of the laces from under my chin. “I didn’t regret it until he kissed me.”
His fingers stopped. “He kissed you?”
I glanced up at the tone of his voice. Kye’s golden eyes held mine as he waited for my response, calm and patient. But his smile became strained. Heated metal drifted through the air, the scent of it almost wrinkling my nose.
