Page 98 of Esperance

He swallowed. “I don’t think there are enough coins in the world for that.”

His sobering answer was wholly unexpected; she wasn’t sure how to respond.

In her short silence, he asked, “What about you?”

“I brought a rock.”

One eyebrow lifted. “A rock?”

Her spine stiffened as defensiveness rose. “It’s a pretty rock.” She’d grabbed it off the ground that morning, and it seemed as good as anything to leave on top of a mountain. Especially when it was a symbolic ritual that stemmed from a religion that thought she should be dead.

Carver didn’t press her for more details, and she was grateful—because she didn’t have a safe answer for him.

There was a long silence, and his emotions shifted.

“I have no interest in Marriset.” His words were muted because of the battering rainfall.

Amryn said nothing. The sincerity coming from him was at odds with his actions—and his prickle of guilt.

The silence stretched, and Carver’s shoulders slowly tensed. Finally, he looked over at her, and his aquamarine eyes locked on hers. “I didn’t like how she’d been throwing herself at Argent. I didn’t know why she persisted, even when he showed no interest. I thought she might be a danger to him. So, when she took an interest in me, I reciprocated her flirtations as a way to determine her threat level. That’s all it ever was.”

His words were calm, his tone penitent. And while she sensed truth, there was something else. Something he wasn’t telling her.

“I’m sorry you were hurt in the process,” he continued. “That was never my intention. But I needed to protect Argent.”

“Why should I believe you?”

His eyebrows tugged together. “I guess you don’t have any reason to. But it’s the truth.”

“Is it?” She angled toward him, her pulse skittering when her knee brushed his leg. “If protecting Argent was your only goal, why not just tell me that?”

“I tried to talk to you in the museum archives, but you wouldn’t let me finish.”

“That’s a feeble excuse. You could have said something at any time.”

His jaw hardened, and he looked away. Within the space of a few breaths, his emotions were carefully clamped.

“How do youdothat?” she muttered.

He frowned. “Do what?”

Her gut dropped. “Nothing,” she hurried to say.

There was a long pause. Then, “I handled all of this poorly, and I’m sorry for that. What I did with Marriset was wrong. Flirting with her—no matter the reason—was disloyal to you. I’m not looking for forgiveness, I just . . . I wanted you to know why, and know that I’m truly sorry.”

His remorse was undeniable, even with his muted emotions.

She just didn’t know what to say to him, so she remained quiet.

Carver didn’t say anything else, either.

Thunder cracked and boomed, and the storm raged on.

Amryn woke with a start. She was curled on the hard ground beside the large tree, and rain was still falling.

It hadn’t let up all day, so after eating and drinking a little bit more at nightfall, they’d both fallen asleep.

She guessed it must be the middle of the night, and at first she didn’t know what had woken her.