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When she opened her eyes, their gazes locked. That flash of anger was gone, as was the dead, distant look, but the intensity remained. His mouth had fallen slightly open, jaw no longer clenched.
Closing her eyes again, she yielded to the fantasy, sliding his hand down her cheek, grazing his fingers along her neck in a wild flight of fancy—as though his fingers would ever long to touch her that way—and then pressed his palm flat against her shoulder, her chest, over her heart.
“What are you doing?” His voice was quiet, rough.
“I forgive you,” she said.
“Don’t. Stop it.”
“I do.” She shook her head. “Will you at least tell me what you’re going to do? All this wondering is driving me mad. Can you feel my heart racing? I am trying to face this with bravery. Like you would.” That last bit slipped out, and her eyes widened suddenly. But what did it matter? What did she have to lose?
His nostrils flared. He didn’t try to pull his hand away from where it sat over her pounding heart, both her hands cold over his warmth. The heat was welcome. The room without a fire had grown as cold as the tomb that it soon would be.
“But with each passing moment, my courage slips away. Just tell me what you’re going to do. I can’t stand this waiting, Jav.”
Suddenly he jerked his hand away, escaping her pleading grip. She caught her breath, but he reached around her, enveloping her in his arms.
He pressed her whole body hard to his chest—another dose of heat. The rough stubble of his jaw slid along her cheekbone, and his breath was hot on her ear.
“Did you ever think this would happen?” he whispered.
“Yes. I knew they’d act eventually.” She shrugged as much as she could in his embrace. Her voice was barely a murmur. “I should’ve run. But I ran out of time.” And you were here. And the world is… huge and terrifying and unknown to me.
“But you were planning to.”
The warmth of him was nearly too distracting to respond. “What does it matter?”
“Keep your voice down.”
“The trap is sprung, Jav.”
“You had no plan? No secret passage, cloak, map?”
She frowned. If only she’d been able to find a darn map. “I have a bag packed with some food and a cloak. No map. There’s a passage, of a sort. But you must take it from the outer hall, and he trapped me in here. What does it matter? I want to know what you’re going to do, not?—”
He cut her off. “What I am going to do is take you away from here.”
She jerked back. She needed to see him. To believe him. She couldn’t stand another trick. But his eyes were hard. Determined. Her surprise didn’t lessen when he yanked her back against him.
“Where does the passage lead?” he demanded, lips against her earlobe.
“Outside the castle.”
“Near the stables?”
“No, the other side.”
“Could be worse.”
“I don’t see how. We can’t use it.”
“Do you have some coin packed? Any valuables?”
She pulled away again to look him in the eye. “You’re not going to kill me?” she asked as quietly as she could manage, nearly mouthing the words.
He shook his head, his expression grim.
She forced down the surge of irrational joy in her chest—what was there to be joyful about? What good was her life at the ruination of his? She shook her head. “No. You can’t do this. You must kill me.”
