Page 24 of Fire in Stone

“Yes, I do.” I smiled. “The park and the creek. If you remember the exact spot where the portal appears in the morning, I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you.” His face lit up with excitement. “I never expected you’d be from there.”

“Well, I’m not actually from there. I was born in Montana, raised in Michigan. But the climate is much harsher up north. When I…um, was on my own, I kept moving farther and farther south where it’s warmer. When you have no place to stay and have to sleep outside—”

I cut myself off, realizing I’d said more than I’d ever intended to share with him.

Unfortunately, my slip didn’t escape Elex. A shadow moved over his face, erasing his excitement.

“Why did you have to sleep outside?”

“Never mind.” I waved him off. “It was ages ago.”

But he wouldn’t give up. “Why did you have no shelter from the weather?”

I glanced aside, awkwardly rubbing one of my upper arms. “Listen, that’s not a fun story. I don’t like remembering it myself, let alone chatting about it with a complete stranger.”

“Do you have a family?” he kept on with his questions. “Someone to take care of you?”

Now that his own situation had been sorted out somewhat, he turned his undivided attention to me.

I had to put a stop to this.

“I don’t need anyone to take care of me, Elex,” I said firmly. “I’m fine on my own.”

Sadly, my tone of voice didn’t deter him from more questions.

“How old are you, Amber? How long have you been alone?”

“I’m twenty-five. A fully grown adult, capable of looking after myself.”

Sure, I might’ve hit some rough patches, but I would get back on my feet.

He didn’t look convinced. “Everyone needs someone who loves them and looks after them. Especially a woman as young as you are. If you have no family, you should at least have friends. A partner.”

“Finding friends hasn’t been easy. And it’s been even more complicated with a partner. A man’s attention comes at a price. Trust me, I actuallywantto be alone,” I said with force.

My hand balled into a fist, crushing my empty paper cup that I’d picked up from the ground. Elex placed his hand over my fist. Once again, I noticed how warm his hand was. He glided his thumb over my knuckles, gently relaxing my clenched fingers.

“It’s fine to be alone.” His deep voice rolled over me, strong and soothing. “As long as you’re happy. Are you happy, Amber?”

“Of course I am,” I said quickly, refusing to look him in the eye.

He kept stroking my hand slowly, and it felt too good to take it away from him. One gentle glide of the pad of his thumb over my skin was followed by another in some hypnotically wonderful way. He wasn’t saying anything, as if waiting for me to continue. As if I had anything else to say.

What else could I say?

Aside from the years spent with my grandma, I’d been very much alone most of my life. Loneliness was a part of me, something I was used to. And I was okay with it. Mostly.

There had been just a few occasions when I’d craved company so badly, I’d made stupid mistakes like crawling into the lap of a much older man after allowing him to get me drunk and believing he could genuinely love me. Or years later, when I’d let him take me to a country fair on his motorbike, pretending we could learn how to be friends.

I winced at the memories.

Taking my hand away from Elex, I finally lifted my eyes to his.

“I’mcontentbeing alone, Elex. Content is better than happiness. It’s easier to achieve, and it lasts longer.”

He seemed to ponder my words for a moment.

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