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It would take minimal effort for Solaris to infiltrate the train. He could hide in plain sight, his presence masked, silently scheming to bring her back.
Naia suppressed a shudder, trying not to think about how long Solaris had spied on her at the festival before making his presence known. Worst of all, she had not sensed him whatsoever—his aura, his power, his eyes on her. Her failure only plummeted her confidence to make it to Finnian before getting caught.
Ronin took another swig of his beverage in a can.
Naia squinted her eyes to read the crisp font plastered on the front of it. NITRO COLD BREW.
“What are you drinking?” she asked.
“Coffee. You want some?” He extended the can to her.
She shook her head. “I was simply curious.”
“Do you like coffee?”
“I’ve never had it.”
He choked on his large swig—a dramatic fit of coughing and bloodshot eyes collecting with moisture. “Are you shitting me?”
She blinked at him, the visual of his choice of words hard to imagine. “No, I am not shitting you. Where I am from, we drink tea.”
Ronin continued to stare at her as if she were an anomaly.
She held her breath, hoping he would not ask a personal follow-up question.
“Okay,” he said after a beat. “Well, it has caffeine in it, so it helps if you’re tired.”
Naia hadn’t considered the annoying daily needs mortals faced—hunger, bladder capacity, sleep. It prompted her to steal a closer look at the exhaustion tugging on the corner of his eyes, noting how his complexion had grown dull since leaving the island, and the texture of his hair now had a glossy shine to it from an oily scalp, indicating he needed to bathe.
It made her a little more grateful for her divinity, while also making her painfully aware of how abnormal she probably came off to him at such an odd hour.
“Thanks.” She turned her head towards the window. “But I’m an insomniac. The late hours don’t affect me.”
Another term she knew from studying the health of mortals—or rather the anxiety-inducing diseases that could plague them.
She could feel the bristling of his gaze against her cheek, studying her further as she peered through the light thunderstorm. Soft flashes of lightning illuminated the land, revealing fleeting silhouettes of majestic mountains and towering trees. The patter of raindrops against the glass created a mesmerizing pattern of miniature rivers.
“Are you going to tell me what has you so on edge?” Ronin asked.
Solaris. Mira. Marina. The fact that I could be cursed at any moment?—
A burst of anxiety shot through her bloodstream. She swallowed through the tightness in her throat.
Don’t think about the curse. It doesn’t exist. Store it away and move on.
Naia’s eyes flickered to Ronin.
He was infuriatingly nonchalant as he waited for her to reply.
“Are you going to tell me what you do for a living to afford to seat us in such a luxurious part of the train?” she asked in return.
While she was half-paying attention during their journey to board the train, she did not miss the amount of money the gentlemen Ronin bought their tickets from said back upon payment. Naia had learned a thing or two about mortals and their money the first time she appeared on their land.
“A roomette is hardly luxurious. I’m no cheapskate, I like comfort over those cramped seats in the next car.”
She glanced down at his knees resting a few feet from her own, when she understood what he meant.
They were both tall. The seats in the other train car were one right next to another from what she saw as they strolled down the aisle upon boarding. Their legs would’ve been cramping after the first hour.
