“I hope there’s a secret cave you know about,” I say, rather than commenting on his little epiphany.Thanks a lot, Margot. I shift my bag higher on my shoulder, just to give my hands something to do. “We’re going to get slaughtered if we’re sleeping in the open. You know that, right?”
“Fine, we don’t have to talk about it now,” Elliot says evenly. He sighs, sounding far more content than he should. “As for caves, I unfortunatelydon’tkeep a record of them. That said, I’m honored you trusted me to take care of you. The Cora from a few weeks ago would’ve wanted a printed itinerary and had it cleared by her preciousmaster.”
I roll my eyes and opt not to comment.
“I’m not going to let you get eaten, don’t worry.”
“Big words for someone incapable of taking on a couple drunken, vampiric goons.”
“There were four,” Elliot says. He laughs though, and the sound is too delicious not to smile. “But anyway, I could have taken on the goons. I would have, eventually. And I promise, if any find us tonight, I won’t let them hurtyou.”
I swallow, stomach twisting.Thatis exactly what I’m afraid of.
19
I WANT TO SKIN MYSELF
ELLIOT
Ifeel like a kid again. Despite the fact Cora has most of our shared teenage moments trapped in jars and hidden somewhere in her bedroom, I am certain this is how I felt back then. I am a tangle of pride and giddiness, determined to make this dark cloud of a woman smile. She’s done it precisely twice on our hours-long trek.
Once, when I reminded her there were four vampire attackers, not two. That smile only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to energize me for the rest of the day.
The second was more unexpected. I’d been in the process of showing off my warded tent—to keep us from being eaten or attacked in our sleep—when it came out of nowhere. I was tying one of the tent poles to a nearby tree, explaining how Henry had helped check the wards right after his shift at the healing center, and she just…smiled.
A full, broad-mouthed grin that caught me so off guard I stumbled. Literally tripped over flat ground and nearly took out our tent in the process.
“What was that smile for?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she’d been quick to say. “You just reminded me of you, that’s all.”
I wasn’t entirely sure I understood, but I didn’t care. Even now, three hours later, I still don’t. I’m just trying to do it again, one more time before we go to sleep.
Cora isn’t smiling. She’s busy setting up a haphazard wall between our sleeping mats. They’re thin but relatively comfortable. If I’d had more time, I would have magicked them to be luxurious and soft.
“I’m not going to cuddle you in your sleep. I promise,” I say. I’m propped on my elbow, snacking on a collection of vegetables. I didn’t have time to go shopping before our trip, so everything I have was pulled from my own kitchen. Miscellaneous vegetables, half of a watermelon, some bread that’s likely stale.
Cora still hasn’t eaten. The bread is sitting next to her on her sleeping mat, but she’s focused on her fortress. Everything between us, I notice, comes from my own pack. Her bag, on the other hand, is tucked safely behind her.
“I’m not worried about cuddling,” she says. Though she doesn’t look up, a pale blush softens her features. She takes her lower lip between her teeth, eyebrows scrunching as she moves a bundle of my clothes to make her wall symmetrical. The watermelon is mixed in with the spare blanket and the pack itself.
“No?” I ask. I trail my finger over the top of her fortress, tapping on a pair of bundled socks. The pillow I brought for her is also in the lineup. Apparently, she’s planning to go without.
“No, I kick in my sleep,” she says. She’s still blushing, still gnawing on her lower lip.
While she straightens her wall, I let myself admire her. Big brown eyes, straight nose, pouty lips and a wide smile she so rarely shows. I wonder if she knows how pretty she is.
“Well, I’m not worried about that,” I say. A grin stretches over my features as I stare up at the pale yellow tent. Outside, the final rays of sunlight are disappearing behind the mountains. Mountains we’ve just barely reached the base of. We have a lot more to go tomorrow, but I’m not sure I mind.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks, accusation thick in her voice.
I can see her from my peripheral, and her lower lip is puffy from where she was biting it. I force my eyes closed.
“It’s nothing. Just…you’re a violent criminal, fussing over kicking me in my sleep. It’s ironic, that’s all.”
Cora doesn’t respond.
When I crack an eye open, she’s disappeared from my line of sight. I instantly surge upright, looking around the darkened space.
