Page 107 of A Vow of Embers

Not that there was much left of it on my lips.

“This is my first picnic,” I told him. So far it hadn’t been an enjoyable experience.

“I can’t imagine you’d eat outdoors much in Locris.”

I set the washcloth down on the grass. “Not there, but I have here. The last time I ate outside was when we were hunted by those terawolves.”

He turned slowly toward me. “Terawolves?”

Did he not know? “I assumed that Io would have told you about it.”

His eyes grew wider, his mouth thinner. “Was my sister with you?”

Oh no. He was livid.

“My entire adelphia was there.”

“Now you’re summoning mythical creatures to hunt my sister.” His clipped tone indicated just how angry he was.

“They weren’t mythical, they were real. I’m not the reason they appeared, and if she hadn’t been with us, we probably would have diedbecause it was her knowledge that led us to safety. Io is not as helpless as you seem to think she is.”

“Why are you continually putting her at risk?”

“It’s been twice and neither one of those times was my fault,” I snapped back.

“The men who broke into the temple were looking for you specifically.”

“So were the pirates on theNikosand I’m not to blame for that, either!” I clapped a hand over my mouth, wishing desperately that I could take my words back.

His entire face changed at this revelation. He was so angry that he was practically vibrating. “You never told me that.”

“Yes, because the trust has always been so pure and easy between us,” I said, laying the sarcasm on as heavily as I could. “I live to confide my deepest, darkest secrets to you.”

“You used to.” He said this softly, wistfully, and for some reason it wounded me.

“Here we are! We decided to join you,” Ahyana gleefully announced as she sat down on the blanket. She had her fingers intertwined with Rokh’s and tugged him to sit next to her. He sat far too close to her but she didn’t seem to mind. “Suri went back to check on the others.”

“Did you enjoy your walk?” I asked brightly, trying to pretend that I hadn’t just been sniping at Alexandros.

“Oh yes,” she said with a grin. “The palace grounds are beautiful.”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you,” Rokh said, and she giggled.

The rest of the afternoon passed that way. Ahyana and Rokh forgot we were even there as they bantered and flirted with each other. He paid her compliment after compliment and she loved every moment of it.

There was an obvious connection between them.

This was what Alexandros wanted from me. For us to be like this in public.

I didn’t see how it would be possible. There was no trust between us. There were too many lies, too many hurts, too many wrongs. Too much deception.

There wasn’t a way for us to ever be like that again.

The sun began to set and the picnic wrapped up. Dolion came over as Rokh helped Ahyana to stand up. I heard Rokh say, “I don’t want this day to end.”

“Neither do I. But I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, and he took her hand and kissed the back.

Forcing me to relive when Alexandros had done the same thing to me, how furious I’d been with him then.