Page 95 of Reckless
“Good to hear you liked me at all.”
Crumbling bread sticks to the roof of my mouth.
I take another swig of the water we’re supposed to be using sparingly, washing the dough down. The fire Kai built is dwindling, no more than dying flames in the growing darkness. He sits beside me, chain stretched between us, occasionally picking at his bread after tending to the horse. The poor creature must be exhausted after carrying us all day in the heat. We only stopped when the shadows crawled toward us, slipping over the stones to swallow us in darkness.
“You know, this was meant to be a final resting place for the royals,” Kai was saying, nodding to the rocky ground around us. “Hence the name, Sanctuary of Souls. The first queen was actually buried in a crypt within one of the caves, but when the bandits began to claim this land, they abandoned the idea.” He takes a breath, reminiscing on the history of Ilya. “So, Mareena—the first queen—is buried all alone in this place.”
I hum distantly. “She doesn’t seem to be alone.” I gesture to the graves littering the ground several feet away. “Just not with her fellowroyals.” The word is coated with a bitterness I hadn’t intended to voice.
“She’s not with herhusband,” Kai corrects. “Herfamily.”
“Right,” I say quietly, as if that passes for an apology. “So, where is the rest of the Azer family buried?
Kai picks at his bread. “There is a cemetery on the castle grounds. Every king, queen, and child is buried there. Except one.”
Ava.
With a slow nod, I shift, crossing my legs on the bedroll. Kai catches my wince at the movement. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly.
“Try again.”
I sigh. “I’m just sore, okay?” A laugh climbs up my throat. “Plagues, Kitt asked you to bring me back to Ilya, not take care of me.”
His eyes narrow slightly. “He doesn’t need to tell me to take care of you.”
“So why do it?” I lean forward, looking for any sort of crack in the mask he’s wearing. “Since when do you do anything the king hasn’t ordered you to do?”
His voice is calm. “What I felt for you went against every order I’ve ever been given.”
“Well then it’s a good thing feelings aren’t getting in the way anymore,” I say quietly.
He dips his head, suddenly interested in the loaf of bread still in his hands. I clear my throat, looking up at the stars winking down at us. “Why did you…” I pause to consider why I want to know the answer before I even finish the question. “Why did you tell me about Ava? You said you never talk about her.”
He runs a hand through his hair, sighing at the crackling fire. “I think that question deserves a dance.”
I choke on my scoff. “I’m sorry?”
“You know how this works, Gray,” he says simply, as though it’s painfully obvious. “We dance—you get your answer.”
“Please,” I snort. “This has to be a joke.”
His head tilts slightly to the side. “Is that a no?”
“Why,” I say, exasperated, “would you want to dance with me?”
“You’re asking more questions, and yet, we still aren’t dancing.”
I shake my head, smiling at the sky. “Fine.” I stand to my feet, brushing the crumbs from my shirt. “But only because I want answers. Because this is ridiculous.”
He smiles slightly before standing to extend a hand I hesitantly take. “Let’s see what you remember.”
“I remember how to stomp on your toes.” I smile, draping my arm over his shoulder.
“I’m sure you do.” His hand finds my waist, fitting there in a way that’s far too familiar. “Why don’t you show me that you remember how to stand close to your partner?”
I fight the urge to deflect and force myself to step into his warmth. The corner of his mouth lifts as he takes my free hand in his own, lacing our fingers together. His palm flattens on the small of my back, making me swallow.
