Page 165 of The Sins of Silas

“Where do you think the others are?” she asked, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear.

“The better question is, why did you come here alone?”

She sighed, and instead of dropping her olive in her drink, she decided to slip it off its toothpick and into her mouth. I bit the inside of my cheek as I watched her chew it.

After a moment, she swallowed. “Didn’t feel like sleeping just yet.”

“How are you holding up…really?” I asked again.

She smiled at me. “You are the first person to ask me that, you know,” she admitted softly. She took a sip. “Honestly? Every time I close my eyes, I see that man hovering over me. That sword—” She twisted her lips to the side and stared off into the distance, her left hand’s fingertips brushing along her neck. “I have never been so close to death. It…” She took a slow breath through her nose, then faced me again. “You don’t know how grateful I am that you were there. That you stayed by me.”

I grinned. “Despite your many protests.”

She laughed quietly. “Yes…”

It was my turn to place my hand atop hers. “Anytime, Princess,” I teased softly.

“I mean it,” she insisted, not taking to my dismissive humor. “You saved my life, Merrick.”

My smile faded away, and I squeezed her hand gently. “I feel everything you feel, Era. I know you mean it.”

Her eyes bounced between mine before they dropped to my lips. Just for a second, they hovered there before she glanced away. She kept her hand under mine.

Comfort.

I smiled softly to myself at the feeling my hand atop hers gave her and dared a drag of my thumb along the tops of her fingers. Her skin was so smooth.

Her eyes slowly shut.

Conflict.

Era gently slid her hand away, finishing her second glass. I quickly worked on my first.

“I’m surprised you want to stick around me,” she muttered, eyes looming on her empty glass, her fingertip slowly tracing its edges.

“Why would you say that?”

She gave me a knowing expression, but my brows remained drawn together. She huffed a sigh. “You have disliked me since the moment we met. My people…” she said quietly. “I understand why you don’t like us. I just don’t understand why you’re here.”

In this tavern withherwas left unspoken.

“The only one I truly didn’t like was Edmund, and that was ‘cause he was trying to bang my sister.”

Era giggled.

“I’ve never disliked you,” I said softly.

“Bullshit.”

“Truth.”

She gave me a blank stare. “I am the princess of a kingdom that is your biggest enemy. And you say youneverdisliked me?”

“Loathed is a better word,” I smirked. She grinned and pinched my thigh, and I chuckled. “I had my presumptions of you. As I’m sure you did of me. Mine turned out to be incorrect.” I shrugged, and then my smile fell as I asked, “Did yours?”

Her smile faded, too. “Mine were correct,” she said quietly.

My heart fell at those words.

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