before, but this…
“Why?” The question burst out of him. “Why do you trust me?”
She shrugged. “I guess because I know I would have failed in Garimore without you. Maybe we weren’t friends, or even allies, but if you hadn’t been there, I would have been found out long before the end. Or I would have simply given up. You were there for me, even if you didn’t mean to be. You were someone I could talk to. And you helped me in all the ways you could, even when there was nothing in it for you but pain and frustration.”
She thought he’d helped her? The human mind was utterly bizarre, but for once, he was thankful for it. He supposed at some point he should admit that he’d only wanted to hurt Melger in whatever ways he could, but he was reluctant for her to think badly of him.
Her. A human.
What was happening to him?
How could he suddenly be questioning truths he’d long taken for granted?
All at once, he was drowning in confusion and frustration—at everything. And at nothing. He backed away from her touch and paced around to the other side of the fire to stare at her.
“How can you say those things so easily? You say you trust me, but you know nothing about me.”
The corner of her mouth curled up a little. “You don’t know that much about me either. With this face, you probably wouldn’t even recognize me in a crowd.”
“I would always recognize you,” he said shortly. “But you’re right. I know very little. The only thing I know about you for certain is that I could never hurt you, and I don’t understand it. I was forced to kill many humans and felt nothing but despair at my captivity, but you… I suspect it would have destroyed me if I was forced to end your life.”
The words fell out without his conscious permission, shocking them both with their honesty.
She blinked and seemed lost for words for a few moments. “Perhaps it was the link?” she suggested hesitantly.
But it was not hesitation that echoed back at him across their connection.
It felt like… joy.
She was happy that her death would have brought him pain.
Why should that make her happy? And why did he feel so much satisfaction at having been the cause of her happiness?
Suddenly, he reversed course. He moved around the fire again, intent on gaining something more from her. Something he could know and hold on to—no more of these vague and confusing feelings.
“Tell me your name.” It was a command, and among his people, it would have been the height of rudeness. Even among humans, his peremptory tone would be frowned upon, though humans neither gave nor protected their names in the same way.
He expected her to reject his demand, but she kept on surprising him.
“Leisa,” she said simply. “My name is Leisa.”
His mouth opened, and he said, “Kyrion.”
He gave her his name. As if she were a trusted friend or family member. As if she would know what it meant, or how it was to be valued.
As if he wanted her to know him.
And maybe she understood more than he gave her credit for, because her face showed an instant of shock that resonated through their link.
“I’m honored,” she said softly. “I swear your name will be safe with me.”
He stared down at her, wondering how she managed to reach inside him and wrap her fingers around his heart so easily.
Wondered what she would do or say if she could hear what he was thinking.
So he backed away again.
“We should sleep,” he said abruptly, putting space between them before he did something else foolish, like touch her.
“Tomorrow, if you’re stronger, I will escort you across the border to a place where you can make the rest of the journey in safety. Then I will return here to wait.”
She looked startled, as if her thoughts had been somewhere else. “Oh, um, yes. Thank you.”
Was it possible her thoughts echoed his?
No. His own were ridiculous enough without wondering whether she shared them.
But she let out a quiet sigh as she returned to the bed he had made for her and settled under the single blanket. He was listening so closely, he even heard her shivering a little as she drew it around her.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said stiffly. “Nothing will hurt you. I sleep lightly, and will awaken if anyone approaches.”
“I’m not afraid,” she said, and she sounded as if she smiled. “Just cold.”
So