Page 152 of Into the Isle

Panic swam through me. I inhaled a sharp breath, trying to play it off, and closed my eyes.

All hells. Things never get easier here, do they? That’s just one more thing I have to worry about—the family tree getting found, and outing my discovery and gameplan.

I should have burned that fucking thing in the candle when I had the chance.

I woke to a gentle jostling of my shoulder. Opening my gummy eyes, I glanced over at Arne, who was crouched at my bedside. The rest of the room was empty. It was still nighttime.

“Arne? What’s going on? Did you find her?” I croaked, clearing my throat of cobwebs.

He shook his head, fair blond hair fluttering on his shoulders. “Not yet, little fox.”

“Where’s Grim?”

A shrug. “Doing bear things. Sniffing around for the culprit, I suspect.”

“And . . . what are you doing here?”

He fixed his face, frowning at me. “I saw the way you looked at me when talking about the letter you received.”

I nodded. “It was allegedly from Frida. Obviously that was a lie, but if Astrid knows about the Lepers Who Leapt—”

“Then they’re in trouble. Fuck.” He furrowed his brow, twisting his pretty face. With a gentle headshake, he said, “I also talked with your girlfriends. They told me how listless you’ve been, how strange you’ve been acting lately.”

A surge of defensiveness ripped through me, mingling with sheer panic. “So? What of it?”

“No one wants to see you like that. Neither do you, I think.”

My frown matched his. He was giving me another pitying look, and I wanted to smack it off his face. No one could tell me how to feel, dammit—they didn’t know what I knew. What secrets I had uncovered about my family and theirs.

Again, the words almost spilled out of me. “Your family comes from pirates, mutineers, and arms dealers, hellbent on destroying my family and any other half-breeds, along with the elves. How do you feel about that, Arne?”

It was almost like I wanted to demand reparations from these men, which I knew was ridiculous. I had no standing.

“Ravinica . . .” Arne trailed off. “I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through. How you feel. But I want to see you happy.”

“Then kiss me,” I blurted out—going in the complete opposite direction than the I-have-to-kill-you vibes. “Bring feeling back to my bones.”

He firmed his face and bent forward. His kiss was gentle, light, and short. I knew he didn’t want to pester me, or put too much on my plate when I was already reeling.

Still, I appreciated the soft touch of his lips against mine. He was a good kisser, knowing when to dart his tongue, when to recede, and when to let me take control.

I sighed when he pulled back. “Thank you.”

“I have an idea, little fox.” He paused for a moment, drumming his fingertips on the railing of my gurney. “I think I might be able to help you.”

“How?”

“Well, you wanted to meet more Lepers Who Leapt, right? Maybe they can help with your, um, malaise—speaking with likeminded people who can’t access their magic.”

He was reading my thoughts wrong. I admired his kindness nonetheless. My inherent magic being dormant was the last thing on my mind right now.

I gave him a weak smile. “Who do you have in mind?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, she’s not exactly a Leper, but she’s treated like one. The Lepers revere her. People go to her for help. Also, I’m sure she can aid your healing process faster than the damned doctors at this place can. She’s something of a shaman, you see. A witch.”

Excitement ran through me for the first time in days. It sounded like another quest, with a person I was curious about. Another Leper? Or someone associated with them? I’m game.

“I can walk,” I announced.

---