His expression allTold you so, he straightened and took a step back as he returned the dagger to wherever it came. With a flick of his hand, he urged me to stand.
I lazily did so. All business, he tugged off my slip and then went about examining every injury I’d suffered in the caverns.
My chest tightening, I bit my lip. And I allowed myself to do something stupid. I let myself wish we were more than sex. Let myself wish he was someone I could wholeheartedly trust. Then maybe I could share the things that I’d so far kept quiet. I could even have told him what happened with the minotaur.
Thatpresencein the caverns … it had to have been one of the gods. There was no other explanation. Who else would intervene? It seemed a little surreal, though, since they rarely interfered in the business of matters in this realm now—not even when it came to Sayers. Not for a long time, anyway.
My mother had always been so confident that it would be different with me, as had the other acolytes. I hadn’t been so sure, but now? Now I had to wonder if they’d been right; if the gods felt they had some use for a mortal. I just really couldn’t see what that could be.
Talon might have some ideas. He’d met the gods. There were things he knew about them that I didn’t. But, honestly, I probably wouldn’t have confided in him even if I had thought he’d keep my confidence. It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask that he keep secrets from the Sovereigns. It would place him in a difficult position.
A light tug on my earlobe yanked me out of my thoughts. I blinked up at Talon, who arched a questioning brow as he prodded my temple.
“Just woolgathering,” I fudged.
He waved his hand in anExpandgesture.
“I’m not thinking anything worth sharing.”
His eyes narrowing, he curved a hand firmly around my jaw and gave it a demanding squeeze as his expression asked,What’s wrong?
“Nothing,” I said. “I just had some flashbacks of the caverns.”
His squint called me a liar.
I sighed. He was too good at reading me. That in mind, I didn’t bother with any more denials. I simply said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Another demanding squeeze to my jaw.
“You’re super nosy. Has anyone ever told you that? They should have.”
One shoulder rose and fell in a lazy, unapologetic move.
“Why do you even care what I’m thinking about?”
His face sober, he pointed at my chest and then doodledMineright there with his fingertip.
“We’re exclusive, sure. It doesn’t make you privy to my innermost thoughts.”
Going by the look on his face, he didn’t find that relevant.
“Don’t be so pushy,” I reprimanded with a light poke to his shoulder. “Unless you’re willing to answermyquestions. That would be fair. And I have tons. Let’s start with an easy one. Where do you go on full moons?”
His eyes narrowed again. Then he bit me. Right on the chin.
I yelped and rubbed the smarting spot. “That wasn’t necessary. There are gentler ways of telling someone that you don’t appreciate them mentally outmaneuvering you.”
His expression the facial equivalent of an indifferent shrug, he turned back to the tunic he’d earlier placed on his dresser.
My eyes inadvertently fell to where his boots were neatly placed against the wall. Why? Because a pair of much smaller boots were set beside them. A pair that I hadn’t before noticed. And they were brand new.
Moving to them, I lifted one to check the size. I swallowed. They were my size. Warmth poured into my chest. That he’d gone out of his way to ensure that I wouldn’t be walking around barefoot … Ugh, this man hit me right in the feels at times.
He turned to me again, his muscles minutely tensing when he saw what I held.
“You got me new boots?” I asked, placing the boot back on the floor.
He shrugged, grumpy all of a sudden. As if it annoyed him that he’d been so bothered by the idea of me not having any.
