Page 14 of Of Nine So Bold

“You’re distracted.” It wasn’t a question, but it also didn’t carry the note of angry accusation his words had always possessed before his secret came out.

I shrugged. “I’m worried.”

His brow furrowed briefly, and then he reached out, gesturing for me to come closer.

Not moving, I glanced back at the camp. It wouldn’t do for the humans to see me acting “too familiar” with any of the giants. Not when—Valeria aside—they might change their minds about supporting us if they thought I was behaving scandalously with any of these men.

To say nothing of the truth about all of us.

But none of the guards were looking this way, and though Dex’s and the twins’ eyes flicked toward me every few seconds, they made no motion to draw attention to what I was doing.

I stepped into the shadow cast by the carriage. Roan took my hand, pulling me closer, and a breath left me, some of my tension easing away at his touch.

Silence hung between us, broken only by the soft sounds of the camp and the whickering of horses. Roan’s hand stayed on mine, even as his eyes remained focused on the prairie. Tension made his jaw muscles twitch, but there was a sadness around his eyes that gave me pause.

“Areyouokay?” I asked softly.

A long moment passed before he gave a small nod.

I didn’t believe that. “What’s wrong?”

He glanced at me askance. “I was looking to comfortyou, princess, not the other way around.”

Stubborn man. “So comfort can only go in one direction?”

He looked away.

I sighed. He was still him. Determined to the point of bordering on bull-headed. Silent more often than not. The fact we’d learned about his demon’s existence hadn’t changed that.

“This is my fault.”

I looked back at him, confused. “What?”

His eyes remained on the prairie. “If I’d told the truth from the start, Niko would still be here.”

Discomfort swirled in my gut. “But wouldyoube?”

“That’s not the point.”

“It matters, though. If you’d told the others the truth years ago and left after that, there’s a very good chance we’d all be dead right now.”

He frowned.

“That dragon would have killed us,” I continued. “Or who knows what else might have. Plus—” I squeezed his hand. “—you and I wouldn’t have met. And that would have been a tragedy, as far as I’m concerned.”

He put his free hand over mine, a small smile lifting the corners of his lips.

“What-ifs don’t fix the past,” I told him. “They just make the present hurt more.”

Sighing, he nodded.

Seconds ticked by in silence.

I bit my lip, wondering if I should press the question that had been lingering at the back of my mind since Niko was taken.

“About the forest…” I began.

He tensed but said nothing.

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