Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
His bed.
A question strikes me. "Where have you been sleeping while I've been hogging your bed?"
He gestures to a blanket on the hard stone floor I hadn’t noticed.
"Raith... you should've said something. You don't need to be sleeping on the floor."
"You need every comfort to get better in time for the Crucible. It's not far away."
"And you think I couldn't have been comfortable sharing a bed with you?"
"I'm a fire. I run hot. You'd sweat through your sheets all night."
"Maybe I’d like your warmth."
He's in the middle of reaching for a rag—to polish his sword, I assume—when he pauses a moment. He sets down the rag and approaches the bed to stand over me. I must not be eating fast enough, because he picks up one of the baskets and sets it on my lap.
I give him a sarcastic smile and pick up the bread, taking an oversized bite I immediately regret. I can barely find room for it in my mouth as I try to chew, both cheeks puffing out.
Raith actually smiles a little at that. "Better."
He hasn't shaved this morning, so dark stubble coats his strong jaw in a way that I think suits him. I find myself watching to reach up and run my fingertips down his cheek. Over the fullness of his lips. To touch him like he’s mine.
"Other than a stubborn reluctance to eat,” he says. “How are you feeling?"
"Better." It's mostly true, at least.
Through our tether, I feel a wave of relief from him, tinged with lingering worry. The connection between us is still tenuous, like a gossamer thread that could snap with too much pressure, but it grows slightly stronger with proximity. When he's close like this, I catch what feels like drifts of his emotions that come and go like scents on a soft breeze.
Fully formed words and thoughts seem highly uncommon. So far, I think they only leak through if he's thinking them with high amounts of emotion. Or, like the case when I sent thoughts his way, if he actually wants me to hear them.
"I spoke with your friends this morning. They'll be by again later. I told them to let you rest when they came last night."
"Good. You know... I've been missing for days now. People must be assuming I'm dead or worse."
"Most think Malakai's people finally caught up with you. Some say you were injured badly enough to be kept in isolation." His lips quirk slightly. "There's even a rumor you challenged Serena to a duel and she burnt you to ash."
"Well, that's dramatic," I say, reaching for a piece of fruit. Eating some has woken my appetite, and now I'm worried Raith hasn't brought me enough food after all.
His eyebrows crease. "I can get you more food."
I stare. It takes a second for me to realize he picked up on my worry through the tether. Gods. That is going to be hard to get used to. But... it's also kind of nice. It's like he can read my mind. Sense my desires. Hopefully not all of them. If he knew about all my desires, I imagine there'd be less calm talking and more ripping off of clothing involved.
"This is fine," I say.
"I'll get you more when you've finished." There's no argument with his tone, so I don't bother.
"It might be a good thing if people think I'm dead for a little bit."
Raith nods. "I had the same thought. They'll all be planning and scheming for the Crucible, no doubt. If you're out of the picture, you may get left out of plans. All the better when you show up full strength."
"What about the siphon? You've been careful, right?"
"We’re all making a new password each morning. Nobody gets near you without it.”
I grin. "I saw that yesterday. But couldn't the siphon take the place of someone who shows up to learn it?"
"It's possible. But it's just one way to make it harder to infiltrate our trust. And we have to give the previous day's code to get the next. It's not a perfect system, but it's better than nothing."
"Okay, but you said to gain access to me. I'm not worried about me. You're the one the siphon was after."
"There's nothing I can do about that. My fires are with me when I'm not with you. When I'm not with them, I'm with you and your friends. If it wants to come for me, it'll have a fight on its hands."
I realize he's right. Other than having allies, there's not really much that can be done. We just have to keep moving forward the best way we know how.
"And Voss?" I ask.
Raith's expression darkens. "He's a question. Yes. If he wanted either of us dead, all he would've had to do was not show up when he did. Makes it hard to consider him the biggest of our worries, at least."