Burning.
63
Selena
Early light squeezed through my shutters, peeling my eyes open.
Instantly, I bolted upright. Threw my legs over the side of the bed. Dashed to the washroom.
I tried to be quiet. But I wasn’t.
Pheolix peered around the corner a moment later, a warm, damp cloth in his hand. Something about seeing the contents of my stomach made him freeze, the frosted edges of sleep thawing enough for him to understand what lay before him.
He dropped to his knees, hands shaking as he gently grasped my elbows.
“How late are you?” he breathed.
I shook my head, wiping the corner of my mouth with his cloth. The fact that he had to askthatway, with a voice drowned in terror, sent a hot sting across the backs of my eyes.
“Six weeks.”
“Six weeks,” he echoed in near silence. “When? What month would that be?”
“Capriis.”
His mouth opened and closed. “When did you realize?”
I fought for my voice to remain calm. “Yesterday.” We stared at each other for a long moment, fear oscillating between the two of us like shield weed caught over a turbulent current.
“You can’t stay here,” Pheolix finally said.
I swallowed. “I know.”
He tossed a glance over his shoulder, though Thaan hadn’t yet returned from his search for Cebrinne. He would any day, but not yet. “You have to find somewhere safe. Not Cypria. Not Paria. Thaan would find you there.”
My stomach rolled over at the words Pheolix didn’t say. Not that Thaan would find me there. That he’d force Pheolix to tell him those were my likely targets. “I know.”
“You have to leave now. Today.”
I nodded. I should have gone yesterday. But the candle hadn’t lit, and I couldn’t bear the idea of running away without the only person in the world who might ground me.
And then the flame had struck. And that idea became even more unbearable.
“Selena,” he said, wrenching me from my thoughts. I suddenly didn’t trust the look in his eyes. “You have to kill me.”
“What?” I shot to my feet with a shove of rage against his shoulders.
He hurried to stand as well, grabbing my hand and yanking me back. “He’ll ask where you went. He’ll know. I can’t hide thoughts from him. And if he finds…” His eyes slid to my stomach. “He’ll use it against us. One more thing for him to control.”
I shoved him again to walk away, fighting to douse the scorching burn in my throat. Then turned on my heel so hard I nearly barreled into him. He caught me by the arms, and I threw my weight into him, forcing him back.
“Heiress.” The calmness in his voice only fed my fire. Pheolix wiped a hand roughly down his chin, then pointed to my navel. “I won’t give him that, too. I’d die first.”
“How could you say that?” I threw the damp cloth at the wall. “How could you ask that of me?”
“Because there’s nothing in the three continents I wouldn’t give to keep you safe,” he threw back, a sudden sharp edge to his voice.
“He won’t find out,” I said, the words half sob and half snarl. “You’re going to swear not to tell him. We won't tell anyone. We'll never tell a soul.”
