Page 67 of Grim and Oro (Lightlark)

HAUNTED

Zed has a message for me. He catches me in the hall, on my way to Isla’s door. “The Wildling,” he says. “She was spotted with Grim ... at the abbey.”

My very marrow goes cold. “Doing what?”

“I’m not sure. They were seen running inside, out of the rain.”

By now she’s seen him several times. She isn’t working with him, so why is he seeking her out? Why is she letting him?

She has to know what he is. She has to know his reputation.

I knock on her door, more forcefully than necessary, anger heating my skin. She opens it immediately, annoyance and fury written on her face at the sight of me. Normally I’d be amused. But tonight, I’m annoyed too. Especially when I see her crown.

The dent I made on her crown has been smoothed away.

I know exactly by who.

“It’s been eight days,” she says, with bite.

Could I be imagining it? Has she ... missed me?

I bury that hope down. No. She despises me. It’s clear with every interaction. Her anger is because she surely thinks I’m working without her. It’s what I would assume, if the roles were reversed.

I force my voice to be emotionless. Matter of fact. She knows I was seeking out the ancient creature. “It took five to find her. Two to coax her out of hiding. One to make a deal.”

Isla eyes me warily, then seems to accept this.

We walk to Star Isle in silence. I’m surprised to discover I miss her questions. I never thought I would want to talk to her. She says nothing until we reach the ruins, and it only deepens my irritation.

Talk to me , I want to say. Me, instead of him .

Because I missed you too.

But she doesn’t say a word, and I’m more convinced than ever that this pointless fascination is one-sided.

The specter doesn’t waste a moment before telling Isla exactly the deal I made.

“ What? ” Isla is furious. Expectedly so. But her annoyance doesn’t bring me the amusement I anticipated. Not at all. “Why not yours?”

“I offered. But she requested ... something specific.” Only now do I regret making this deal.

“The most beautiful girl on the island, that’s what I requested,” the floating woman says, studying Isla. “And you’re perfect .”

I suddenly wish the specter was alive, so I could kill her.

Isla looks horrified. I’m grateful she doesn’t linger on the fact that I clearly find her beautiful.

“Absolutely not. How do I know she won’t stay in there?

” She turns to me. “That you’re not in love with her and just want a body for her to inhabit for eternity?

” I give her a look that I hope sums up exactly what I think of that theory. “Well?” she asks anyway.

“Do you trust me?”

The answer explodes out of her. “No! You didn’t even tell me about this until you summoned her!”

That was perhaps not the best approach, I admit. I expected her to be agitated, but she looks absolutely murderous. Which, I realize, is a completely appropriate reaction to finding out one’s body has been bartered. But we don’t have time to waste. And I always intended for it to be her choice.

I sigh. “What will it take?”

She looks ready to scream at me again, but I watch her pause. Consider. And because I know her by now, I know—

She’s plotting something. She wants something.

Finally, she says, “Take me to the Sun Isle library. Let me look inside. Alone.”

There it is . The closest she’ll come to admitting her plan. Libraries. She’s going after each isle’s libraries . The pattern is clear. I’ve watched her do it.

“Why?” I ask, on the off chance she’ll tell me.

“I like books. I want to see what your isle has to offer.”

Truth followed by a lie, searing the end of my tongue. Little liar . I wish I could tell her I know she’s lying. That would be an expression I’d pay to see on her face.

I realize all at once that giving her what she wants means potentially being let in on her plan.

“Fine.” It shocks her. She expected a fight.

I expected a fight.

Isla takes a long breath to ready herself. Then, excitement glimmering in her eyes, the specter steps into Isla.

Her body shifts almost imperceptibly, then settles. She closes her eyes. When she opens them again, Isla’s glare has turned into something more ... intimate. She blinks, and there’s a flash of green—

But it’s not at all the same.

Because Isla Crown has never looked at me this way in her life. She has never looked at me like she wants me.

“King. So, this is your taste?” It’s her voice, but it isn’t her. The specter uses Isla’s hands to touch Isla, running them down her body appraisingly.

“Don’t touch her,” I growl, and the specter smiles, then drops Isla’s hands by her sides.

“Very well,” she says. “Can I touch you?”

She takes a step forward, and I stand my ground.

“You said I have a few moments. You didn’t say what I couldn’t do, now did you?”

I give her a warning look, and she just laughs. “Come now. I see how you look at her ... you want this, don’t you?”

She steps into me, and I stiffen.

She tilts her head, brown hair falling along her face, and then she bites her lip. “You want to kiss her, don’t you?” she asks, and I swallow.

“You’ve thought about it, haven’t you?”

I don’t say anything, because I’m not a liar.

She smiles knowingly. “You’ve thought about a lot , right? You’re ashamed by how much you’ve thought about her.”

My glare is scathing, and she laughs. Her hands slide up my chest, up to my hair. She weaves her fingers through, pulls—

And the specter is right. I have imagined this. Far too many times. But with Isla . And though this is her form ... it’s not her. Not really.

I know for certain, because I know her. I know the way she breathes, the way she frowns, the way she would never be biting her lip for this long, never be standing so precariously on her toes.

She’s been trained as a fighter, even when she’s clumsy, you can see the shadow of that training, of that mastery of her body. It’s missing now.

The specter leans forward. Isla’s face is right in front of mine, close enough that I can count the flecks of gold in her green eyes.

Her lips are almost against mine. Just a whisper away. Just like I’ve dreamed.

“ That’s enough ,” I growl.

Isla blinks, and I know it’s her. I know it’s her because her eyes widen, she gasps a little, and I feel it against my mouth.

Then she startles, nearly falling backward, before I catch her.

The specter tells us the heart is not on Star Isle.

An isle off our list. Time is dwindling. We’ll need to figure out other ways to eliminate places to look.

I should be thinking of ideas. But as we walk back toward the bridge, I wonder if Isla could ever want to touch me like the specter did.

If there was ever any chance of that, it’s ruined minutes later, when Isla assumes we’re going straight to the Sun Isle library, and I tell her that she’s not going there any time soon.

When I tell her she should have been more specific with her request. Like an ass.

And I know this is good, and neither of us should have any sort of feelings for each other, but a part of me withers, seeing her look upon me like I’m a traitor.

Her voice shakes with anger, as she says, “You ... you are a selfcentered, heartless wretch.”

She’s looking at me as if I am scum .

And for some reason, that one look has me furious. Frustrated. A snap away from losing my sanity.

She is making me lose my mind. And perhaps that’s been her strategy this whole time.

“Is this your plan, Wildling?” I demand, not able to keep this in me any longer.

“To try to win my heart by tormenting me?” It was the plan of all her ancestors before her.

It must be hers. These ridiculous, distracting, ruinous thoughts must be her doing.

I search her eyes, truly wondering. Because none of this makes sense. I’m desperate, desperate to understand.

All she does is laugh. She laughs and laughs. Then her own anger seems to find her again, because she steps up to me and says, very slowly, “I have absolutely no interest in you whatsoever, King .”

I am shocked into silence, because she is telling the truth.

I’ve never hated sweetness more.

“Then what are you interested in, Wildling?” I demand, needing to know. Needing to understand something in this sea of uncertainty. “Why do you want access to my library? What are you looking for?”

She says nothing.

I take a step closer. “I have watched you. You are a chameleon, becoming everything everyone wants you to be, all the time. Except around me —you don’t seem to give a damn what I think of you.” I shake my head.

“The lands I have been entrusted with are dying. I am dying. I will do anything it takes to break these curses. You, or whatever you are planning, will not keep me from that end.” I mean it.

I need to mean it . I look down at her, as if her truth could be written across her skin.

“So, I will ask you again. What do you want, Wildling?”

I wish I could order her to answer. I wish I could order myself not to be so tied to her answer. She says nothing. She just leaves in a rage, saying she’s done . Done with me.

But I’m not done with her.

Not even close.

“Why was the Wildling ruler in our library?” Enya asks, days later.

“Because I gave her access,” I grumble. I truly was going to refuse her. I was going to follow Enya’s advice and go against my morals. Be a true ass.

But in the end, I couldn’t.

“You did what?”

I say nothing.

“The Wildling is almost certainly working against you,” Zed reminds me.

“I know.”

“She was likely looking for something that will hurt you.”

“I know.”

“You’re being an idiot.”

I shift in my seat. “I know. She needs to trust me.” I look around at them. “We all did not have the best first meetings, now did we?”

They go silent. Then Enya opens her mouth, and I shoot her a look. “We met when we were babies,” I say. “That doesn’t count. Though I do remember you locking me into multiple closets as soon as you learned to walk.” At this, she rolls her eyes.

“So, you’re saying she could be ... a friend?” Calder says.

I run my hand down my face. “I’m exhausted. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“Finally, we agree on something,” Zed says, and I give him a look.

I don’t know if Isla is a friend or enemy. Right now, we’re not even partners anymore. She meant it when she said she didn’t want to work together. And I can’t blame her.

I can only hope that offering her an olive branch will be enough.