Page 25 of Soulgazer

“I’m supposed to be married tomorrow. They—gods, they’ll all think you stole me. Or that Kiara orchestrated it…Faolan, we’d set off a war if I went.” I can barely speak the words. “Between my father and Rí Maccus, or both of them against your cousin’s people!”

“So let them think it.”

I laugh, because the words are perhaps the most outlandish ones he’s uttered so far.

And yet.

The laughter dies on my lips as I stare into his eyes. Look over his frame—all those symbols of power marking him as the Wolf of the Wild. If I abandon my betrothal and they catch us, Faolan’s protection would be meaningless. Unmarried, I am subject to the laws of my home, and though I’m of age, my father is still the king. A single word from him could end me, and no one in the land would dispute it.

But if I could change that one small fact—no longer be thedaughterof someone, but instead…

“Who saw me kiss you last night?”

Faolan’s lips twitch, breaking into a wide smirk even as he turns one of the rings round and round his finger. Restless. “Most of the Damhsa, I have to imagine. My cousin. The crew. There are few lasses daring enough to try it these days—especially the innocent ones.”

“And I was the only one dressed as a magpie.” I weave my hands over my stomach and press down until I am steady. “What if I ran away with you? Not because I was kidnapped, and not to defy my father or Rí Maccus’s hand, but because…I wanted to marry someone else.”

Faolan goes still, gaze locked on mine. “Aye?”

“But it won’t work if they don’t believe it. And I’m not risking my father’s fury or the Stone King’s war without a guarantee of your protection—the sort that takes more than words.”

His eyes narrow into a suspicious shade of midnight. My throat threatens to collapse, but I force a steady breath into my lungs. Lock my hands together and push the words out.

“If you want me to come with you, Faolan, you’ll have to wed me first.”

His laughter bursts free like the snapping of waves against a cliffside. I compel my spine not to bend, keeping my chin level even as I tuck my shaking hands into the folds of my skirt to hide them. When I don’t join in, his laugh dies between one gust and the next.

“You were serious? No—no, I’m never going to marry anyone.”

“Well, if you want me on your ship—”

“I don’twantyou on my ship; Ineedyou there.”

“And I need some guarantee that I’ll survive it.”

Faolan flings his hands into the air. “You’re never guaranteed anything on the waters; that’s what makes it so damn exciting! Any moment you step foot on those planks is a moment you could meet death.”

“IknowI’ll meet death if I leave with you now.”

“Well, that’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it?” Faolan’s smile returns halfheartedly, like he’s waiting for the joke, but I only stare until it disappears altogether. When it does, he grimaces and rubs at his neck. “All right. All right, look—Saoirse. How about a chest of gold? A home of your own? Servants, lovers, a new feckin’ name. You come with me and you’ll have all of that—more if you’d like. We’ll be heroes when we return, completely untouchable!”

“Ifwe find it.”

He scowls, and I shrug. “Like you said, you’re a story.” The words are harsh, but the pain lancing across my tattoo is harsher. “I don’t know which parts are true.”

Faolan bites back a groan, raking a hand through his dark curls. “Lass. If you’re looking for a lover or some gentle, kind man to keep that tender heart of yours, I’m sorry but I—”

I shove hard at his chest, anger bubbling up my throat andburning behind my eyes. “I’m not asking for that! Shades damn you, I’m just trying to survive.”

“Aye, but you still want your freedom and I wantmine.” His words are emphatic, his voice tight. “I cannot marry, Saoirse.”

“And I can’t go without that protection.” My lungs ache as I force as deep a breath as I can manage. Then I lower my hands, watching him for one long moment as I try and fail to reconcile what I am about to do. If this doesn’t work…“So I guess you’ll have to find the island on your own.”

Shards of wood and fresh spring blooms grind beneath my boots as I turn, leaving the shock on his face behind. I’m nearly sick as I take one step. Another.

Surely he’ll stop me? I can’t have told him all that for nothing.

I don’t dare look back as I walk. I don’t breathe.