Page 112 of The Sins of Silas

I lifted the joint in a silent offer, and she narrowed her eyes, her nose scrunching.

I laughed softly and found myself wandering toward her.

She looked up with tearful eyes as I sat beside her, resting my head against the large trunk.

Her grimace grew. “That smells bad. That stuff isn't good for you, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” It didn't stinkthatbad, at least compared to other herbs that could be smoked for pleasure. Its aroma was liketobacco with a hint of mint. “How are you holding up?” I asked, ignoring her comment and internally cringing.

Isn’t it fucking obvious how she's doing?

She sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. “I hate seeing them suffer.”

Them.

I tuned into her emotions, letting her pain wash over me. The buzz from my high helped it hurt less.

I gave her my best attempt at a smile. “It won’t be forever. They’ll get through this,” I assured her gently, pointing my fingertips to the air and conjuring up some mage light as I said,“Lumen.”

Little orbs that glowed white began floating around us, offering up some light.

Era's eyes sparkled. “Amazing,” she breathed, eyes dancing over the little lights. She offered me a shy smile. “I am quite fearful of the dark…I'm grateful for this magic.”

Her brown eyes bounced between mine, a glimmer shining in them, reflecting off the mage lights.

“That was your father?” she asked gently.

My eyes flickered, falling to the ground before nodding. “Yeah.” I took in another drag.

“I'm so sorry.”

I shrugged, blowing the smoke out through my nose, and she placed her hand on mine. The touch made my skin heat.

When I gazed back at her, her eyes trailed back over to the striped tents. “What is happening to the world? How are they growing more powerful?” She squeezed my hand before placing it back in her lap. “A few months ago, life seemed normal. It feltsafe.”

Her eyes slowly slid to mine, her head now facing me and noting my frown, I’m sure. “Though I suppose it’s never felt that way for you,” she said quietly.

I flexed my jaw, again trying to muster up a smile. “It wasn’t so bad in Ames. Before everything went to shit, anyway.”

She gave me a small smile. “We’ll get it back. All of it. And it will be better than it was before. I know it.”

My eyes flared, and I blinked in surprise.

Her brown eyes twinkled, and she once again looked back at the tents. “We will make this world better. For everyone.”

And in reading her emotions, I knew she meant it.

“You will certainly be an exceptional queen one day,” I said softly.

Her eyes found mine again, a single tear trailing down her cheek. “Merrick…”

“Try it. You'll feel better,” I insisted, offering up the drugs like the bad influence I was.

She scoffed, wiping away her tears. “I'm not a heathen,” she said, sticking her nose in the air, her blonde bob flipping with the movement..

I rolled my eyes, and my lip curved into a half-smile. “That mouth of yours says otherwise.”

Her head shot back to me, her tears already fading away at my distraction. “I say ‘dick’ once, and that makes me a heathen?”

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