Kaine moved closer, his expression softening as he watched her struggle.Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, solid and warm.The gesture wasn't pitying—he knew better than that—but supportive, an anchor against the tide of painful recollections.
"I understand," he said quietly, and she believed him.If anyone could understand facing the ghosts of the past, it was Kaine, with his own dark history that he rarely spoke of.
Thalia leaned into him slightly, drawing strength from his presence.His scent—forge smoke and pine and something distinctly him—enveloped her, familiar and comforting.When had that happened?When had his proximity become something that eased rather than heightened her tension?
"Do you think less of me?"she asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it."For not wanting to face it?"
Kaine's arm tightened around her shoulders."No," he said firmly."Not at all."He turned to face her fully, both hands coming to rest lightly on her upper arms."Thalia, I've seen you fight when others fled.I've seen you stand your ground when it seemed impossible to win.You're as fierce as anyone who's ever walked these halls."
His eyes held hers, unwavering."But courage isn't about never feeling fear.It's about acknowledging it and finding a way forward anyway.And sometimes, that means taking time to heal before confronting what hurt you."
His words settled into her, easing something tight in her chest."It was two years ago," she said."I should be past it by now."
"Time doesn't erase everything," Kaine replied."But you're not the same person you were then, either.You're stronger now.Wiser."A small smile touched his lips."More stubborn, if that was even possible."
The unexpected jest broke through her tension, and Thalia found herself smiling back, albeit shakily."Says the man who spent three days straight trying to perfect a brand-new forge technique rather than admit Instructor Wolfe's method might be better."
"It wasn't better," he insisted, the familiar argument a welcome distraction."Just...more conventional."
Thalia laughed softly, the sound echoing oddly in the vast forge chamber.When was the last time she had laughed?Before Roran's trial, certainly.Before the Isle Warden attack.It felt strange, almost forbidden, in the wake of all that had happened.
Yet also necessary.
She leaned into Kaine, no longer caring if anyone might see.After the battle, after nearly losing Roran, after everything—what did it matter if others saw her seeking comfort?His arms circled her, pulling her closer, and she rested her forehead against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath layers of rough-spun fabric.
"We'll find another way," he murmured into her hair."We don't have to go into that chamber if you're not ready.There must be other sources of information about this metal."
Thalia shook her head, craning her neck to look up at him.“No.You’re… you’re right.If the information is there, we need to see it.”
His gaze dropped to her lips, lingering there with an intensity that made her breath catch.For a moment, neither of them moved, suspended in the space between friendship and something more.Then, slowly, deliberately, Kaine leaned down.
His lips met hers gently, a question more than a demand.Thalia responded instantly, rising onto her toes, her hands sliding up to his shoulders.Even as she pulled him closer, something knotted within her chest, like a tangle of thorns growing in her ribcage.Less than a day ago, she’d been kissing Roran.
As Kaine’s hand came up to cradle her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek, she tried to block out the memory of her moment with Roran, to lose herself in the simple comfort of his touch.But even as she enjoyed the feel of Kaine pressed up against her, the scent of him—slightly acrid from the furnaces’ smoke, mingled with the earthy aroma of hot metal—she couldn’t help but compare the details.Kaine’s kiss was gentle, seeking, unhurried, less fierce than Roran’s had been.Where Kaine was steady earth and controlled fire, Roran was wild wind and sudden lightning.The kiss she’d shared with Roran had been a raw, unvarnished truth.This, with Kaine, felt like a beautifully spoken question to which she no longer knew the answer.
When they parted, Kaine didn't pull away.Instead, he rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed as though committing the moment to memory.
"I've wanted to do that again for a long time," he admitted quietly.
Thalia smiled despite herself, a small, fragile curve of her lips."What changed?You stopped me before, when I tried."
He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze directly."You were vulnerable then.Worried about Roran.I didn't want to be something you turned to just to forget your pain."His thumb traced the line of her jaw, feather-light."I didn't want to be a distraction.Especially from him."
"And now?"she asked.
"Now," he said, "I think we've both faced enough that we know what's real and what's just an escape."His fingers trailed across her cheek.“I won't pretend I wasn't jealous, since you came back to Frostforge.He had your full attention, and I wanted it.”
The confession hung between them, honest and unadorned.Thalia felt the thorns within her stir at his words, the prickle of anxiety threading its way through her chest.Only hours ago, she’d been kissing Roran, craving Roran’s closeness.
And now, with Kaine’s touch burning against her skin, his admission lingering in the air between them, she couldn’t ignore the truth: her heart didn’t belong to just one of them.Neither of them would have her full attention, not while the other still held a piece of her soul.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Thalia descended the narrow stairs behind Kaine, each step carrying her deeper beneath Frostforge's familiar halls and closer to memories she'd spent two years trying to forget.The heat of the Howling Forge faded with every turn of the spiral staircase, giving way to a chill that seeped from the ancient stone and settled into her bones.She flexed her fingers against the cold, trying to focus on the steady rhythm of Kaine's footfalls rather than the quickening beat of her heart or the whisper of dread that coiled around her throat like a living thing.
"We don't have to do this," Kaine said, pausing to look back at her.Shadows carved deep lines into his face, illuminated only by the guttering flame of the lantern he carried."I could find someone else to help me open the door.I’ll sketch what I find, bring it back to you."
Thalia shook her head, grateful for the offer but unwilling to yield to her fear."No.I want to see it myself."She had made the decision moments after their kiss, while still wrapped in the warmth of his arms.She couldn't let her personal terror stand in the way of her duty."I'm not the same person Maven tried to sacrifice.I won't give her that power over me anymore."
