Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,7

pitched strangely, “that maybe you should go onto the deck and finish the wash.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Why?”

“I’ve been doing it for months on my own, that’s all.”

“You know I’m sorry about that.” I resumed my chopping. “But you said yourself it isn’t safe.”

“There’s no one around,” she insisted. “I really think you should go.”

I brushed the hair out of my face with the back of my hand. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing. I just really don’t want to do it, all right?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

“Thank you.” As I passed her, she reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I love you,” she said, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

I shrank away, watching her suspiciously from the corner of my eye. “Um, I love you, too, you strange girl.”

I walked outside, blinking at the brightness of the sunlight. Despite my annoyance with Zadie, I was so grateful for the feel of the sun on my skin that for a moment I stood with my arms outstretched and my eyes closed, drinking it in. I shook out the messy knot of my hair and spun in a slow circle, and when the light stopped burning my eyelids, I finally blinked them open.

The ocean was indigo and gold today, the waves glittering in the sunlight. I sighed as I knelt down to pick up the heap of wet clothing, wishing I could stare at the horizon a little longer, daydreaming of what lay beyond it.

As I pushed to my feet, movement at the end of the balcony caught my eye.

I closed my eyes again, sure it was some kind of illusion. But when I opened them, he was still there, his hair ruffling in the breeze, his cerulean eyes watching me.

Eyes I would know anywhere.

Talin.

It was like seeing him for the first time. His gaze held mine, making me physically aware of every inch of my body. At Old Castle, we had promised we would see each other again, but even then I hadn’t fully believed it. And with every hour that passed in between, my doubt had only grown.

But he was in Varenia, wearing a white tunic tucked into black breeches and leather boots, once again completely overdressed for the environment. At least he’d left his doublet behind this time. If Talin was here, it could only mean that his mother was back in New Castle, that everything else was as it should be. Ceren really was dead, Zoi was alive and well, and Varenia was finally free.

And yet Talin did not look overjoyed to see me.

I slowly set the washing down and stepped toward him, unsure if I should smile when his expression remained so serious. “Talin,” I said, because hello seemed wholly inadequate under the circumstances.

“Nor.” He sighed heavily, as if he’d just remembered to breathe, and opened his arms for me.

Relieved, I ran to him, closing the space between us in just a few strides. He wrapped his arms around me, the warmth infinitely better than all the sunlight I’d just absorbed. I breathed in as deeply as I could and felt his chest rumble with laughter.

“What?” I leaned back to smirk at him. “You smell good.”

“So do you,” he said, pulling me closer. “I forgot just how good.”

For a moment, we stood in each other’s arms in silence, simply enjoying the feel of each other. But when he didn’t speak, I knew I would have to ask. “Why do I have a terrible feeling it’s not good news you’ve come to deliver?”

“I’m afraid it’s not,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “But it can wait for just a minute longer.”

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the specter of whatever bad news had chased Talin here. “Zadie saw you, didn’t she?” I remembered the funny look on her face when she’d told me to come out and do the wash.

I could feel his jaw shift into a smile against the top of my head. “Yes. I hoped it was you, from a distance. But the way she placed both hands over her mouth when she saw me convinced me immediately it wasn’t.”

“Why? Too ladylike?”

“Something like that,” he murmured.

I punched him lightly in the side.

He let out a gentle oof, which was clearly feigned. “That’s more like it.”

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to pinch him or kiss him, and I suspected that was what he liked about me.