Page 74 of The Faceless Mage

He probably should have thought things through before he issued that impulsive invitation. Life at home was going to be a mess for a while, and once they learned his story, a lone human was unlikely to be popular. Or safe.

But he could keep her safe. Once he was home—once she freed him—he would have the power to keep anyone from harming her again.

He would have to warn her before they returned. Have to give her some idea of what to expect. But there would be time enough for explanations later.

“Although…” She seemed to be having second thoughts. “Will your people hate me?”

“Probably.” With anyone else, he might have tried to hide it, but enough of their link remained, she could probably tell if he lied. “But you will be my guest, so they will forgive you for being human. Eventually.”

Instead of being horrified, she laughed. “That sounds ominous. But I trust you.”

He’d thought she was perplexing before, but this…

“Why?” The question burst out of him. “Why do you trust me?”

She shrugged. “I guess because I know I would have failed in Garimore without you. Maybe we weren’t friends, or even allies, but if you hadn’t been there, I would have been found out long before the end. Or I would have simply given up. You were there for me, even if you didn’t mean to be. You were someone I could talk to. And you helped me in all the ways you could, even when there was nothing in it for you but pain and frustration.”

She thought he’d helped her? The human mind was utterly bizarre, but for once, he was thankful for it. He supposed at some point he should admit that he’d only wanted to hurt Melger in whatever ways he could, but he was reluctant for her to think badly of him.

Her. A human.

What washappeningto him?

How could he suddenly be questioning truths he’d long taken for granted?

All at once, he was drowning in confusion and frustration—at everything. And at nothing. He backed away from her touch and paced around to the other side of the fire to stare at her.

“How can you say those things so easily? You say you trust me, but you know nothing about me.”

The corner of her mouth curled up a little. “You don’t know that much about me either. With this face, you probably wouldn’t even recognize me in a crowd.”

“I would always recognize you,” he said shortly. “But you’re right. I know very little. The only thing I know about you for certain is that I could never hurt you, and I don’t understand it. I was forced to kill many humans and felt nothing but despair at my captivity, but you… I suspect it would have destroyed me if I was forced to end your life.”

The words fell out without his conscious permission, shocking them both with their honesty.

She blinked and seemed lost for words for a few moments. “Perhaps it was the link?” she suggested hesitantly.

But it was not hesitation that echoed back at him across their connection.

It felt like… joy.

She was happy that her death would have brought him pain.

Why should that make her happy? And why did he feel so much satisfaction at having been the cause of her happiness?

Suddenly, he reversed course. He moved around the fire again, intent on gaining something more from her. Something he could know and hold on to—no more of these vague and confusing feelings.

“Tell me your name.” It was a command, and among his people, it would have been the height of rudeness. Even among humans, his peremptory tone would be frowned upon, though humans neither gave nor protected their names in the same way.

He expected her to reject his demand, but she kept on surprising him.

“Leisa,” she said simply. “My name is Leisa.”

His mouth opened, and he said, “Kyrion.”

He gave her his name. As if she were a trusted friend or family member. As if she would know what it meant, or how it was to be valued.

As if he wanted her to know him.

---