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Noemi hurried after the warrior procession. She was, at least, on our side as much as Justice was on anyone’s side. Draven remained, standing some distance from us, daggers back in his hip sheaths and the same severe expression as before.
Whatever he did next was his choice.
I’d made mine.
I knelt beside Lark. “Hold on to me, I’m taking you to my chamber.” He turned his head, and the tracks of dried tears shimmered like ghostly scars. “You’re safe,” I told him.
He blinked, sighed, and closed his eyes, just for a few beats. “I will never be safe as long as Razak lives.”
Draven appeared at my side, the sneer all gone, and offered Lark his hand. “We’ll work on that.”
CHAPTER35
Arin
Scorching desert sunburned away dawn’s first light, bleeding the sand and sky red. The horizon was a blur this morning, obscured by a distant, tumultuous sandstorm. I’d have given anything to feel the sea breeze on my face again, or to stand barefoot on cool pebbles and taste the salt in the air.
Lark murmured, drawing my gaze from the desert into the room, and my bed, where he lay asleep, tangled in damp sheets. He’d thrashed so much in the night he’d almost kicked the sheets away. I’d tucked him back in at intervals while Draven had paced.
The physicians had claimed that without knowing the source of the poison, there was nothing we could do but wait and hope he woke.
Draven had left a little while ago in search of an update on Razak’s whereabouts, and perhaps to interrogate the Prince of Pain. He hadn’t asked why I’d chosen to defy Ogden for a traitor and a liar, but the questions would come. He’d understand. He’d liked Lark, they’d beeninvolved, and now we knew the absolute truth. Lark wasn’t our enemy.
“Arin…” Lark’s hand lifted.
I shot from the chair. “I’m here.” His fingers were cold. I squeezed his hand and sat on the bed’s edge. He blinked, trying to focus, then jerked his head, searching the room. “Easy.” I pressed on his shoulder. “Take it slowly, you’ve been out for hours.”
His dark eyes focused on me, desperate and fearful. But when he blinked down at his naked chest and saw the sheet pooled in his lap, his fear gave way to intrigue. “If this was a dream, you’d be naked. What you do next determines whether I’m experiencing a nightmare.”
I chuckled and let him sit up. If he was jesting, then he’d be fine.
He fumbled with the pillows and the sheet, trying to keep himself covered. Sunlight made every tiny scar gleam. He’d become leaner during his time with Razak, sharpening his edges some more.
The sheet slipped below his hip. He reached for it.
“It’s a little late for modesty.”
“It’s for your benefit, not mine,” he said. “I can let it all hang loose, if you’d prefer, but I’ve seen your husband’s blades.”
My laughter thickened, but I moved from the bed, needing space to think around his quick words—why my heart had swelled, why I was so relieved Draven wasn’t here, and what that meant. “You’re clearly feeling better.”
“I am. Thank you.” He leaned against the stack of pillows and held my gaze. “I mean it, thank you, Arin. For everything.”
I waved away his thanks. “I should have done more.”
“Well, for what you did, I am in your debt.” He fiddled with his sheet again, trying to lift it to cover his chest, then tucking it around his waist instead.
“No debt, Lark. You don’t owe me anything.” I slumped back into the chair. Now I had some distance, and my mind had stopped reeling, I could see him without emotions tying me up in knots. He wasn’t thin, but close. His right forearm had a new vertical scar. I turned my head from that and sighed. As Noemi had said, Razak had taken another of his fingers. “There’s no excuse for the way I treated you after I learned your true name. I made yet another mistake, in thinking you’re like… him. I seem to make a great many mistakes around you.”
“You assumed the worst, which was Razak’s intention.” He dropped his head back and blinked at the ceiling. “Countless miles away, but he’ll still fuck you over.”
“Not anymore.”
He swallowed. “Where is he?”
“Being watched by War’s armed guards.”
“We’d better hope War’s guards are better than yours. I escaped your dungeons within a few hours.”
