Heat flooded Elyria’s cheeks. The balm Zephyr gave her had taken the rawest edge off them, but the marks Raefe left on her were stillunmistakable—an angry, twisted map on each leg. She scrambled to pull her nightdress down, but gentle fingers wrapped around her wrist, staying her hand.
She lifted her head to find two pools of golden brown staring at her—intoher. Her heart forgot how to beat for several moments.
Cedric sucked in a slow breath, an eerie calm settling over him. “Who did this to you?”
She shot to her feet, breaking his grip on her wrist. “It’s nothing,” she said, cursing inwardly as her voice cracked.
“It’s not nothing.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“Tell me.”
Her nostrils flared as she inhaled deeply. “You’re not the only one in this world who had grand plans for the day they finally metthe Revenant.” She fiddled with the fabric of the sleeping gown, glowing white in the moonlight. “But unlike you, this one wasn’t inclined to listen to reason. More of an act first, talk never sort of guy.”
Cedric had gone so still, Elyria thought for a moment he might have stopped breathing entirely.
She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t thinking...I only partially healed the burns before I realized?—”
“Burns?” He stood so quickly that Elyria found herself stepping back in surprise. “Those are burns? But they’re so?—”
“Precise? Yes, Raefe’s mastery of his flametouch was actually quite impressive. Or it would have been, had he used it for anything other than making confetti of my breeches.”
“Don’t do that.” His voice had a dark edge.
She swallowed. “Do what?”
“Make light of what happened. Of what thisRaefedid to you.” He spat the name like it was a curse.
No, not a curse.
A vow.
It sparked something in Elyria’s core, even though she had no idea what to say in response. She shivered as Cedric’s gaze ran up the length of her, slowing as it drifted over her legs before stopping at her forearm.
His jaw ticked. “I burnedyou too.”
“What?”
“Your arm. In my trial. You got burned.”
“That was hardly your doing.” She extended her arm and gave it a wave. “And I appreciate the concern, Sir Worrywart, but fear not. It was an easy fix. See? Healed it right up. Nary a scar to be seen.”
His weight shifted toward her, as if he meant to move closer. He didn’t.
Elyria didn’t understand why that disappointed her.
A few moments passed, thick silence hanging between them.
Finally, he said, “I hope you made him pay.”
“Not enough,” she muttered before she could stop herself.
“After we get out of here, we’ll change that.”
She snapped her head to him, the words washing over her like cold water. Awakening something in her. She never let herself think aboutafter. She’d gone through the Gate knowing full well that there was almost no chance of coming back out, only caring about helping Kit make it as far as she could.
Yet here was this man, suddenly talking as ifafterwas guaranteed.
