‘Rose!’ Caz calls out. ‘What are you doing in there?’
Hiding from reality,I think, only to shake away the thought. The whole point of this trip is that hiding isn’t something I do. Not from my own powers and not from whatever the fuck is going on here. No, hiding is what Kyor does. What Kay did when it came to the true extent of her relationship with Hew. Hiding the truth only makes things worse, and I’m not going to start now.
Drawing in a deep breath, I stand, pull up my knickers, and march out towards the clearing, though I don’t look at Caz. No, my eyes are focused solely on the two men on horseback.
I stalk forward, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed, letting the knowledge colour my face.
When they see me, Benny’s entire body freezes, while Ruben pales so greatly I could believe he’s wounded.
‘Shit,’ Benny mutters.
‘What?’ Caz looks between us. ‘What am I missing?’
‘Oh don’t worry. The boys were talking about dick size,’ I say flatly. ‘I think they’re embarrassed that I heard them.’ I look between them. ‘And I did hear. I heard it all. Length. Girth. Let’s just say it’s the type of discussion you can’t unhear, even if you wanted to.’
For the first time since I met him, Benny has absolutely nothing to say.
Chapter 24
The air is charged, heavy. And it weighs on us all.
‘What the hell did you hear?’ Caz murmurs after several minutes of riding. ‘Because the tension right now feels like more than dick talk.’
A long sigh frees from my lungs. ‘I’m sorry, but I donotwant to talk about it.’
‘Okay,’ she replies, giving my arm a squeeze and letting me have my silence back.
Caz is right. The tension is so taut it feels like it could snap at any second. But I can’t talk to her about it now. Not until I’ve got my head straight about what I’m going to do with this new – treasonous – information.
Besides, the way Elska skulks through the woods, she and Kyor could easily appear behind us without me noticing.
For now, the dire wolf is out in front, scouting and setting our pace – a rapid one that only seems to get faster.
It’s only when the foliage grows thicker and the density makes it appear impenetrable that Elska finally slows to a stop.
‘How is it possible that this place looks scarier in the daytime than it didat night?’ I ask, trying to break the crushing tension that’s haunted us all day. And I know I’m not the only one who feels it. The fact that Benny hasn’t even asked for a food break, despite the fuss he made about not having had time for breakfast, is evidence enough. If the tension is still there when we make camp, Kyor will notice. He’s many things, but unobservant isn’t one of them.
It twists in my gut. I find I don’t want to keep this from Kyor but what choice do I have? He’d kill Benny if he knew. I know he would.
Though my mind is focused on Kyor’s potential anger, it’s hard to ignore my own, simmering beneath my skin. Zelle helped me just as much as the Eastern Isles group. He believed in me and made me believe in myself, not to mention the fact that he was the only person in the High Hold I ever heard speak about my parents with fondness.
If it wouldn’t draw Kyor’s attention to the situation, I wouldn’t think twice about calling Benny out. Telling him just how fucking mad I am.
It’s shit. All of it is shit.
And it’s not the only thing I have to deal with.
As we gaze into the unyielding darkness ahead of us, a rustling whistle billows through the undergrowth, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.
‘We stick together,’ Kyor says grimly as we reach him. ‘No more solo pee breaks.’ He looks at me pointedly and I try to keep the panic off my face.
Did he hear us?
He can’t have or he’d be tearing Benny apart limb by limb.
‘We’ll ride for a couple of hours into it, then we’ll set up camp within the forest,’ he continues, moving forward. ‘We don’t want to be moving when night truly falls.’
We all nod, sober and nervous.
