grimaced. “This has to be the way.”
“Make camp here,” I said, pressing my back firmly against a tree so I could study the barrier. “I know it’s not ideal, but we’ve yet to come across a clearing.”
Urgent whispers snaked through the group in hushed undertones. Emelia crept to the front of the line, dark eyes skittering left and right. “I’ll watch for danger. If I could have one or two others assist me, we can take turns guarding our own.”
“I’ll help,” Calem said.
Emelia pivoted in place, and her black ponytail swept the air behind her. “Great.”
Kost spoke to Emelia, but his gaze lingered on my face. “I’ll help in a moment.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
With her face angled toward the interlocking branches above, Emelia leaped. Tree leaves floated to the ground with the force of her jump, and she launched around branches, finding height and a point of lookout with lethal precision. Calem did the same, disappearing without words.
“All right, let’s clear away some of these vines so we have a place to rest.” Ozias clapped his hands together and ushered the assassins to his side.
Kost took a small step toward me. “How are you holding up?”
“Not great.” I gripped the back of my neck and stared at the wood. Leena was out there. Somewhere. And I couldn’t get to her. “How did this happen? How the hell did we end up here?”
Kost adjusted his glasses, avoiding my gaze. “You fell in love. That’s how we ended up here. At least she’s alive, Noc. It’s not like before. You have a chance to be with her…” His voice trailed off. Beside us, assassins worked to uproot vines from the depths of the earth. Occasionally, they’d snap a root in half, showering the ground in a vile purple substance. Their grunts punctuated the silence that stretched between us.
“I’m sorry, Kost.”
His shoulders tensed. “For?”
“For not reciprocating.” My hands fell to my sides. He’d been with me for so long. Too long, he’d waited for something I couldn’t give, something I’d refused to see, only to watch as I fell for someone else. “After you got sick the first time, I didn’t dream of expressing myself at all. I think that made me blind. What I’ve put you through… It’s not right.”
Finally meeting my gaze, he offered a strained smile that did nothing to mask the hurt. “You did what you had to. The sacrifice you made to keep me alive… No one has ever done something like that for me. Your love is complex, Noc. Leena is fortunate to have it.”
A lump formed in my throat. If my emotions were complex, then Kost was a riddle I didn’t have the dexterity to solve. Had timing been different, had my curse never come into play, perhaps I would have found myself enjoying an entirely different puzzle. “I love you, too, Kost.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat to hide the dip in his tone. “We’re brothers, and your curse is gone. I’m so glad.”
I pushed off the tree and wrapped him in a hug. He smelled of mint and leather, and even though he stiffened against me, I couldn’t let go. We’d been through so much. For decades, I’d kept my feelings beneath a layer of ice, and now I could finally tell him everything. Show him. I hoped he could feel it. I hoped he understood what he meant to me. What he’d always mean to me. My grip tightened.
Slowly, Kost melted, and he pressed his hands against my back. Voice thick, he spoke in a whisper. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything.” I released him, and he stepped back, a slight flush to his cheeks.
“You’ve done everything—and then some.” Idle hands smoothed his vest, and he looked away. “I’m going to help Emelia. I’ll let you know if we see anything.”
And with that, he disappeared.
Sighing, I went back to leaning against the tree and staring at the hidden wall. Mist plumed at the base and crawled upward. The surrounding air rattled like mucus trapped in lungs, and I shivered. If I were in the business of erecting barriers, I’d block out the Kitska Forest, too. Cruor technically resided in the enchanted wood, but we were close enough to the edge that we only experienced the occasional disturbance. Nothing like this.
A shrill wail screeched in the distance, and there was no escaping my thoughts of Leena. Of the beast realm and the quiet love she showed all of her creatures, regardless of