Page 312 of Salt Between the Wolves

The question left her before she had fully decided to voice it.

Silence settled between them.

Soren held her gaze without looking away. There was nowhere left to hide behind duty, law, or necessity.

When he answered, his words were simple.

"Then I would be glad."

There was no attempt to persuade her, no promise, no declaration—only the truth.

Somehow that felt more dangerous than anything else he could have said.

For a long moment neither of them spoke. The fire crackled softly in the hearth while Eira lowered her gaze to her hands.

The mark beneath her skin was quiet. Not gone, and perhaps it never would be, but quiet for now.

When she looked back up, Soren was still watching her with the same patience he had shown since entering the room. The sight stirred something inside her that she was not yet ready to examine.

"You should rest," he said.

The words carried neither instruction nor expectation. Only concern.

Eira nodded.

"Tomorrow."

Something in his expression suggested he understood exactly what she meant. Tomorrow she would decide.

He inclined his head.

"Then rest."

Without waiting for anything more, he turned and crossed the room. At the door he paused, his hand resting briefly against the wood.

"Eira."

She looked up.

For a moment he seemed about to say something else. Instead, he simply said,

"Good night."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"Good night, Soren."

The door closed quietly behind him.

Eira listened to his footsteps fade into the corridor before settling back against the pillows.

The following morning dawned clear and cold.

By the time Eira climbed the last narrow steps of the western tower, the sun had already risen above the eastern peaks, washing the mountains in pale gold.

She found Soren exactly where she had expected, standing alone as the wind tugged lightly at his cloak while he looked out over Ironfang.

From here the fortress seemed smaller than it ever did from within its walls, with the training yards below like carved stone terraces, smoke rising from chimneys, and tiny figures moving through the courtyards as the day began.