Page 41 of Ivy & Bone

Prue blushed when their eyes met, and they both quickly turned away.

After what felt like an eternity, they were both dressed. Cyrus couldn’t deny the wonderfully clean feeling of dressing in new clothes, even if they were ridiculous. And his suit came with a coat, thank the gods.

To his surprise, Prue withdrew a few hats and scarves from her own bag and tossed the bigger ones toward Cyrus. His eyebrows lifted in surprise and admiration. She’d had the foresight to prepare for their mountain climb. He cursed himself for not even considering it.

For the first time, he thanked the gods Prue was with him on this journey. He might be immortal, but that didn’t make him immune to the elements. He could still experience cold, and the idea of freezing his ass off on that mountain was most unappealing.

Cyrus wrapped himself in the scarf and tucked the hat over his head, but it wouldn’t quite fit over his horns. “Shit,” he muttered.

“Here,” Prue said with a laugh, drawing closer. She’d wrapped a thick wool shawl around herself, covering the exposed parts of her skin. Cyrus wasn’t sure why this disappointed him.

Prue removed the hat and inspected it. After holding it up to his temples, her mouth twisting in concentration, she tugged at two points in the fabric until they tore. Then, she handed it back to him. “Try again.”

Frowning, Cyrus slipped the hat on. His horns fit through the misshapen holes perfectly. He huffed in half surprise, half gratitude.

Prue smiled. “I hope your horns are impervious to the cold.”

Cyrus snorted. “They are.”

Prue’s grin widened, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she looked over his appearance.

“What?” Cyrus asked.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, biting back her smile.

Cyrus crossed his arms and sighed. “Tell me.”

Prue burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, it’s just—with the hat and the suit, you look like some well-dressed satyr posing as a professor.” Her words dissolved into a fit of giggles. She slapped a gloved hand over her mouth, her face reddening with each peal of laughter.

Anger and embarrassment flooded Cyrus’s chest. But the longer Prue laughed, the more it seemed to melt away, until, to his surprise, his own face split into a smile. Seeing her double over with laughter, clutching at her ribs as tears streamed down her face, made it impossible for him to hold on to his anger. And then, he was laughing, too, the feeling so foreign and delightful that he clung to it, eager for more. The way his stomach contracted and his shoulders shook was strange and . . . human. But he didn’t mind at all.

After their chuckles faded and Cyrus’s stomach was sore, he wiped a tear from his eye and met Prue’s gaze. Silence fell between them, punctuated only by their panting as they caught their breath.

“I’m surprised you didn’t remind me for the millionth time that you are a god and should be treated with respect,” Prue said, pitching her voice low in a poor imitation of his.

Cyrus’s brow furrowed. “Yes, well . . . I . . .” He trailed off, unable to find words.

Prue snorted at his stammering. “I’ve rendered you speechless? Well, that’s a first. We should take advantage of this rare silence and get moving. You know, before you get the sudden urge to lecture me.” She winked before striding past him toward the base of the mountains.

Cyrus stared after her, alarmed at the flutter of emotion burgeoning in his chest. Had she just winked at him?

And what was more shocking: he liked it.

“Come on then, O Wise and Benevolent God of the Dead,” Prue called over her shoulder.

Cyrus hurried after her, fighting back another laugh. “When did I ever call myself benevolent? If anything, I’m the opposite.”

“Oh, there he goes again. I guess the blissful silence only lasted a moment, then.”

Cyrus laughed again, finding it surprisingly easy to smile, as if his face was designed for it.

Gods above, what was happening to him?

“Come on!” Prue gestured impatiently, and Cyrus realized he’d been lagging behind. “We’ve got a mountain to climb.”

Cyrus’s expression sobered as he quickened his pace, eager to cross the mountain pass as quickly as possible.

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