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‘You’re incredibly bossy,’ she huffed, moving her arm tentatively with a grimace.
‘Occupational hazard.’
‘You mean it’s not just your charming personality?’
‘That too.’
She didn’t laugh. Instead, she looked to the murky skies. ‘Do you think they’ll be back?’
Wilder considered it. ‘Not anytime soon…’ he said slowly.
‘But we should move on anyway?’
‘Ordinarily I’d say yes, but with you injured and me not quite at my full strength, I think we need to rest.’
‘I can manage.’
‘Fine, you can manage well enough,’ Wilder allowed. ‘But with honesty being our policy at the moment… I’m not so sure about me. That reaper messed me up something fierce.’ The words were hard for him to say. He’d never admitted such a thing before in any sort of battle or skirmish. But he felt shaky, fragile in a way that made him nervous about being on the open road, about not being able to offer Thea his full protection. Not that she needed it, apparently.
Wilder glanced up to find her studying him. Her expression alone told him that she’d seen more of his memories than she’d admitted. Heat prickled in his face, the shame rising to the surface.
‘Has that happened before?’ she asked quietly.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘Not to that extent… The Furies made me strong. Usually I’m able to keep the shadow visions at bay. Today… today, I was more susceptible.’
‘Why?’
Wilder grimaced.
‘Why?’ Thea demanded again.
He let his gaze fall to her, let her see the pain he’d done his best to keep masked. ‘Because you were here. Because I was scared for you. My focus was split.’
‘And that made you…’
‘Vulnerable.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Thea said.
At that, Wilder huffed a laugh. ‘Don’t be,’ he told her. ‘It appears my fears for you were severely misplaced.’
She nudged him with her good arm. ‘Something to remember for next time, perhaps.’
‘I’ll be sure to write it down.’
‘Maybe you should tattoo it on your forehead.’
‘Not a chance, Princess. I wouldn’t want to mark this pretty face of mine.’
Thea snorted. ‘Pretty’s not the word I’d use for it.’
‘No? What, then?’
Thea met his gaze, considering him with a pained look of regret before she shook her head and got to her feet. ‘Dangerous territory there, my friend.’
‘Isn’t it always?’ Wilder quipped. It was for him. The vow of friendship they’d made hadn’t changed how he felt about her. Nothing could. But before she could answer, before they went down a path they couldn’t retrace, he scanned the ruins. ‘We’ll camp here for tonight. There’s decent shelter from the wind, and we’ve got enough rations and water.’
She gave him a grateful look and he knew he’d made the right choice. Thea would never be the one to hold them back, but she needed the reprieve as much as he did.
