Page 91 of Kept to Kill
Kane regarded her in silence. ‘Why do I think there’s more to this story?’ he asked, and she remembered how astute he’d been when they were young. No one could lie to him.
She didn’t want to tell anyone what had happened in that room, but he didn’t press, thank the gods.
‘We’re traveling through to the Strait,’ Quin said. ‘You?’
‘The Ice Plains,’ Kane ground out.
‘Very well. I suggest we travel together on the north road until the fork,’ he said to Kane. ‘Give you and Lily time to catch up.’
The day was bright and sunny with a warmth in the air that spoke of spring looming, though the winds from the far north still held their bite. They all traveled together on the road quietly, the Brothers’ eyes on the forest around them so that they could not be easily overrun, though by what, Lily didn’t know. All the men seemed to be on high alert.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked Lana, who rode beside her, both of them flanked by Brothers.
‘The north road is dangerous,’ she murmured.
‘Why?’
‘Attacks,’ Lana answered. ‘The further north, the more there are.’
‘Attacks from what?’ Lily asked, and Lana shrugged.
‘No one knows.’
Lily turned her head to look at the other woman. ‘Then why are you journeying closer to danger?’
Lana grinned. ‘My unit may have left the Army, but they are mercenaries still.’
‘Brothers arenotmercenaries, woman,’ Kane said menacingly, moving his horse closer to Lana’s. She stuck her tongue out at him and Kane shook his head. ‘Imp.’
Lily watched their exchange with fascination. Kane was very different from the boy she remembered, but she was glad to see that he cared for Lana and that she seemed to care for him in return.
Well into the day, they decided to camp at the base of a rocky outcrop to save them from the wind, and that night, as they sat around the fire, Lily listened to the Brothers talk about days with the Army.
She was surprised to find that Quin and Kane had been good friends before Quin had taken Lana, which she still didn’t understand his reasons for. Quin rarely did anything without thinking about it first, and she resolved to ask him about it when they were next alone.
Their meal finished, Lily stood to get her pack and bedroll. As she returned to the fire, she was stopped by Kane.
‘What happened in the Library, Lily?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We have been apart a long time, but I know you, and I see shadows in your eyes now that weren’t there when I saw you with Nixus yesterday.’
‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ she said, her heart beginning to thud in her chest. ‘It’s finished now.’ She rubbed her eyes. ‘Don’t you think there are plenty of past hurts for us to revisit without adding to them?’
He nodded. ‘That’s true enough, I suppose. I’m sorry about Toman, Lily,’ he said. ‘I should never have left you both alone that day.’
Lily shook her head. ‘It wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could have done,’ she said. ‘Toman was already dying. Every touch I gave him made it worse. I didn’t know. You must believe me, Kane, I would never have hurt him on purpose.’ Her voice wavered. ‘I loved him. He might as well have been my blood.’
‘I loved him too,’ he said. ‘And I loved you. I still do, Lily. You are my sister. You cannot blame yourself anymore. This wasn’t your fault.’ He hesitated. ‘You aren’t the only one with power,’ he said softly.
‘You?’
‘Not the same as yours, but yes, and I’ve done my share of dark deeds with it.’
Another tear rolled down her cheek as she stood in front of him. ‘You’d forgive me?’
He stared into her eyes. ‘Look at me, Lily.’ She did as he said. ‘There’s nothing to forgive.’
