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I brought a hand up to brush the back of her head in soothing strokes. “You have nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault.”
I felt something like a huff against my chest. And then another as I realized she had just laughed. She leaned back to meet my gaze. “You specifically said that this was my fault. That if it weren’t for me, you could’ve gotten out of Fort Malek. And it was my fault that you were caught.”
I furrowed my brows while she smiled despite the tears. The events of the evening must’ve taken their toll on her for her to show such erratic behavior. But then again, Emilie had always felt her emotions fully, at every end of the spectrum. Whether she was tossing daggers at my head or admiring artwork, she laid it all bare.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t recall saying that.”
“Ladon Castelli, you are a liar.”
“If you’re expecting me to say I was wrong, you’re going to be waiting a long time, princess.”
She chuckled again, but as my lip curved in a reluctant grin, hers turned upside down. Her face scrunched in anguish and she trembled, tears falling freely down her face. A moment of teasing could only pause the pain for so long.
So I held her close, cradling her against my chest and resting my chin on top of her head. It was the only thing I could do.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ladon
Emilie kept to herself for the next several days. I could tell she was trying to put on a show. To pretend like she was okay. But I heard the desperation in her silence. She wasn’t nearly as unfazed as she pretended to be. In the middle of the night, I could occasionally hear soft sniffling while she tried to hide her tears.
It killed me that there wasn’t more I could do for her. For us.
The books she’d taken from the Scholars’ Cavern had been a dead end. There wasn’t anything useful that might help us escape this prison. Nor were there any instructions for destroying the magical vines wrapped around our bodies. Each day I racked my brain trying to think of new ways to solve our problems, all the while entertaining Reyna each night.
At least my presence was enough for her. Gods, what I would do to her if she ever touched Emilie again.
Strange how Emilie had driven me mad before. I’d wanted to strangle her, to tear her down. Still did most days. But the second anyone else laid hands on her, I went into protective mode.
“Can you hand me that one?”
Emilie was standing on top of a stepladder, placing books on a nearly full shelf. Today we were back to working in the library. Of all the jobs Reyna had us doing, this one was the least horrible. It didn’t involve dog shit or mystery stains. The only downside was the bats that occasionally stirred and flew down from above.
I grabbed the closest book and handed it to Emilie, reading the title as I passed it. “How to Train the Untrainable. Guess we know how Reyna keeps all her pets in line.”
“I’m sure you’re right. How else would she tame all these beasts?”
“Did you just say, ‘I’m right?’” I smirked.
Emilie smacked my arm with the book. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
A noise down another aisle made us both freeze. No one else was supposed to be in the library. Even Reyna’s henchmen had stayed outside the cavern.
Emilie stepped down from the ladder as quietly as she could while I peered through piles of books, searching for movement.
“Maybe it was just a bat,” Emilie whispered.
The look I gave her conveyed my skepticism, and she fell behind me, following in my footsteps as I went to investigate.
The Scholars’ Cavern was still a disaster, despite the days we’d spent organizing. The massive mounds of books were taller than I was, making it difficult to see.
Emilie’s hand clasped around my bicep, squeezing a little too tightly. I gave it a pointed look before lifting my eyes to her face. She let go immediately, pink staining her cheeks.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…I know you don’t like to be touched.”
“That’s not it.” I shook my head. A part of me was in disbelief, realizing all those threats hadn’t been for nothing. That she finally got it through her head not to touch me. Except now, her touch was the only one that didn’t feel like an assault on my body. “Just not so tight.”
I reached back and grabbed her hand, and she stared for a moment, stunned. Her hand was small—delicate—in mine. Her soft skin was icy, and I brushed my thumb over the back of her hand in an attempt to warm it. She shivered and nearly pulled her hand from my grasp, but I tightened my hold.
