Page 99

Likewhere is Ravis?

What does it mean that he’s taking longer than he should? Did something bad happen? Has disease swept through his camp?

Or maybe something good happened for him? Maybe he’s detoured to meet up with even more forces?

I’m about to enter my shared room in search of Temra but stop outside the door when I hear talking.

“You need to stop it.” Temra’s voice. “I don’t want food or gifts from you. I don’t want to catch you looking at me or thinking about me or anything else where I am concerned. You lost that right.”

“The right to think about you?” Petrik asks sardonically.

“Yes.”

“That’s not— You can’t—” He cuts himself off twice before saying, “I messed up.”

“Twice,” she cuts in.

“I messed up twice. I’m sorry. Please, can you ever forgive me?”

Her voice rises. “You can’t ask for forgiveness. This kind of offense is unforgivable.”

“I only wanted to keep you safe. Please understand—”

There’s a crash, and I think Temra might have thrown something at him.

“No, you understand! You had a choice to make, and you made the one that results in us never being friends again.”

“Friends?” Petrik’s voice takes on a nasty edge I’ve never heard before. “We were never friends.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You used me. Always.”

“What?”

“The playful flirtations. The compliments. The light touches. I was always something you kept around to amuse yourself. You only wanted attention from me.”

“And you always kept yourself away at arm’s length, so whose fault is that?”

Petrik scoffs. “Because the second I showed even a trace of interest in you, you would have become bored and moved on to someone exciting.”

“Are you calling yourself boring? Or are you calling me a flake?”

“Girls like you don’t go for boys like me.”

“Pathological liars? I don’t think that’s anyone’s type.”

“I mean beautiful girls don’t go for smart boys. They go for dangerous ones. Exciting ones. Boys with big arms who can swing swords and bash in heads.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m pretty. How else could you stand to be around someone so stupid!” she growls at him.

“I never said you were stupid.”

“It was implied. Because if all I am is some pretty girl, then clearly I have nothing else going for me. And if all you see in yourself is your ability to read a book, then you need to build your confidence. Being with a pretty girl won’t fix that.”

It goes quiet for a full ten seconds. No one moving. I can barely hear them breathing on the other side. Secondhand embarrassment floods my senses, and I want to flee almost as much as I want to stay and listen.

“I don’t see you as just a pretty girl!” Petrik finally blurts. “You’re protective and talented at everything you do! Almost in an obnoxious way, I might add. You have such empathy for those around you. You are beautiful inside and out!”