Page 53 of Façade

I remained stiff, afraid he could sense the power lingering in the air, humming in anticipation to expose the secret I still didn’t quite understand but which would be dangerous in his possession.

Thankfully, he seemed not to notice. Instead he visibly relaxed upon spotting me. “There you are.”

Though his presence was preferable to a wild animal or another assassin, I didn’t relax my tense posture. I kept my wary gaze riveted to his expression as he closed the remaining distance between us and crouched beside me.

“The guard told me where to find you. Why did you wander off? When I awoke to find you missing…” Even in the faint light I could see his deep concern. “Are you alright?”

How could I be? My heart pounded wildly not just from the memory of waking up to find myself curled up beside him, but his sudden appearance so soon after I’d performed the magic he coveted.

When I didn’t answer, he released a shaky breath. “You could have at least woken me. When I awoke and didn’t see you…”

“Did you think I’d escape?” I asked wryly.

He slowly met my gaze. “No, but I was still worried.”

My heart swelled at the admission. “Were you really? Because if anything had happened to me, it’d save you the long journey to the monastery.” His desperation to rid himself of me stung more painfully the closer we became.

Tears burned my eyes. I hastily severed my blurry gaze to stare at the stream, cast in the moonlight’s artistic patterns, more glistening with the magic still surrounding it…something I hoped Ryland wouldn’t notice. He didn’t speak for a long moment before his touch grazed my cheek, beckoning my gaze to return to meet his grave expression.

“It doesn’t matter that things didn’t work out between us. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

My pulse palpitated at the earnestness filling his tender voice, and especially the softness of his touch as his thumb grazed my cheek once before he withdrew, leaving me yearning for him.

Despite how things had begun between us, I realized in this moment that I could no longer hate him. Quite the opposite: I was beginning tocarefor him as a friend, so for him to possibly feel that way in return despite the deceptions that had riddled our relationship until now…I hadn’t realized how much I yearned for this shift between us until it’d occurred.

He noticed my shiver and, mistaking it for cold, stepped forward to tuck the blanket he’d brought gently around my shoulders before settling beside me on the bank.

“Why did you wander off? Could you not sleep?”

Sleep had proved impossible with the power surging beneath my skin and the lingering embarrassment from having woken up so close to him. I hoped that the darkness was enough to mask the heat engulfing my cheeks at the recollection; the last thing I wanted was for him to discover the real reason I’d awoken.

“Your snoring kept me awake.”

Amusement twitched his lips at that, as if he were enjoying a private joke. “I’m a man of many talents; apparently snoring is one of them. I’m sure you’ll eventually grow used to it.” He stiffened, as if only just remembering our destination. “That is, you’ll accustom yourself to it as we finish out our journey…”

Sadness cinched my chest at the reminder of how little time we had remaining. It was strange to feel closer to Ryland the nearer we drew to our separation, one that’d remain inevitable unless I found a way to stop him.

“Thankfully, your snoring won’t be my problem but that of the next woman you choose to exploit.” Bitterness filled my tone along with my frustration—not because I couldn’t do anything to stop him, but from the hidden part of me that was almostjealousof the thought of Ryland marrying another.

Tension crowded the surrounding silence before he murmured quietly, “I don’t want to exploit anyone.” At my snort of disbelief, he continued in a rush of words, as if the dam keeping back his confession had crumbled and he couldn’t hold it back any longer. “I truly don’t, but I have no other path. You only caught a glimpse of the disappearing curse tainting my kingdom. I’m not sure what else to do.” He looked entirely lost.

“Then at least approach the Estorian princess with honesty about your kingdom’s needs rather than entering another marriage under the guise of deceit. Trust is essential if you want any hope your next marriage will work.” Once more my heart prickled at the thought of Ryland marrying another, but I forced the unproductive emotion away. “If you’ve learned anything from our time together, it’s that lack of trust prevents a relationship from blossoming.”

He lowered his gaze. “Do you still not trust me?”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. In the course of our time together I’d come to discover that trust, like many things, wasn’t black and white, but filled with shades of grey. I trusted him insomethings—enough to have sought comfort from him on multiple occasions and to sleep beside him last night—but I couldn’t extend that same trust in matters of greatest importance, even as I acknowledged that he’d at least been making an effort to be upfront about his dishonorable intentions.

I swallowed the lump lodged in my throat and, unable to speak, slowly shook my head.

Another silence settled around us. It took me some time to gather enough courage to steal a peek into his expression, and my heart wrenched at howsadmy admission had made him. Several heartbeats more passed before he finally spoke. “I wish I could promise to be better in the future, but my kingdom’s need is too dire.”

“What of my kingdom?” I demanded. “If magic is stolen rather than given—or too much is taken—all that is sustaining Estoria will crumble, in turn hurting my kingdom.”

His shoulders slumped. “I didn’t know that.”

“Because you didn’t ask.”

He buried his face in his hands. “I don’t know what to do. I just want to protect my people.”

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