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“What did you say to Esska and Indi?” I said again, forcefully this time.

He blew out a breath of air and looked off into the forest.

“I told them to stop interrupting you all the time.”

“What?”

He looked back at me. “They both interrupt you a lot, finish your sentences for you, things like that. I told them they should be patient. Give you the room to speak for yourself, that’s all.”

My face went flush with heat. I was horrified and embarrassed. The next thing I knew, I was close to bursting into tears—too close—and I turned away from him, marching myself in among the trees.

He called after me, but I didn’t listen. He’d talked to them about me? I found my anger and latched onto it. If I stayed angry, I wouldn’t cry. I could rage and spit and stomp, which was infinitely better than falling into a puddle of tears in front of Roan.

He followed me. I wasn’t going anywhere except for away from him, but he followed relentlessly, not letting me gain an inch.

“Leave me alone,” I said, pushing a branch aside and letting it snap back at him.

That gave me an inch.

“Well, you can’t just go marching into the woods alone.”

“Watch me.”

“Fenli, you shouldn’t head off by yourself,” he said, taking up his familiar tune. “The two of us are supposed to stick together. Let’s just talk about this.”

“I’d sooner join—sooner join the Godless.”

“That would be just like you. Running away instead of facing—”

“Shut up.”

“—your problems. If we could just work things out together and—”

I stopped and swung back around, so quick he nearly ran into me.

“Leave me alone, you boar-headed, reeking, ball-sack of a husband I never wanted!”

There were a few moments of stillness between us, our eyes fixed on each other’s while the words hung in the air. Then he straightened.

“Honesty suits you.”

I was a heartbeat away from offending him further when something moved in the side of my vision, and I startled. Looking past a group of fallen trees, I could just make out a bear cub, watching us through the branches. He was small and golden-brown, and I let out a breath, thanking Toke it was just a babe.

But I’d thanked my god too quickly.

There was a deep huffing sound coming from my right, and I knew what I’d done before I’d even turned my head: I’d led us right between a mama bear and her cub.

Chapter Eighteen

Roan

She was massive. I’d seen brown bear before, but never one this close.

Her head was a wonder, wide with a long snout, ears flattened. It did not seem a friendly gesture, and when she huffed again, tossing her head side to side, the sight of her teeth made me certain we were going to die.

“Shit,” I breathed.

We were motionless, both of us, staring at the beast who stared back. The seconds dragged, and the three of us stood as if entranced.