Page 59 of The Freedom You Seek

He finally nodded and twisted his head toward Thain, even though he still held me close, as if to make sure I wasn’t about to crumple to the ground. Sometimes, Dion could be so overbearing that I simply wanted to scream.

“Leave,” he growled and, if I wasn’t mistaken, bared his teeth at the redhead. Much to my surprise, Thain obeyed this rude order instead of provoking Dion any further.

“Ireas will be back with the horses any minute. There was an ambush on our way, and I’ve dealt with it.” Dion sounded calmer when he addressed Antas, and my best guess was that it helped that there was no trace of red hair in sight anymore.

“An ambush?”

“No one got hurt. Well, none of us, at least. Four villagers desperately wanted to collect the bounty on our heads but were no match for me.”

“Careful, Dion, your arrogance is leaking out again.”

“It isn’t arrogance because I have the skill to back it up, Jama,” Dion smirked as he was preening, and his latest outburst of temper seemed forgotten, thank the gods.

“You can be skilledandhumble.”

“But where would be the fun in that?” Dion asked, grinning at me, dimples on full display. It almost felt unfair how this man could weaponize a smile. But soon, his face transformed into something more serious. “If you feel better, we should find the others and be on our way again. And then you’ll tell me everything that took place before I came back.”

Dion steered our horse back on the trail. Before we mounted, he’d handed Fig a poster, but both men had prevented me from seeing its contents. I glowered at them for trying to coddle me, but Fig’s voice was full of authority, and I knew there was no chance he’d change his mind. But somehow—soon—I would see the poster. I’d make sure of it.

We rode in silence for a while until Dion and I were out of earshot of the rest of the group, something I’d waited for.

“It was Soleth, you know? My father.”

Dion wore a puzzled expression. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,Jama.”

“You asked me how I got my scars. I thought about it, and I decided you could know.”

Tension radiated from Dion in waves as it had so often since our journey had started, but this time, he also went utterly still. Only one of the growls I’d begun to associate with him left his chest. “Yourfathergave you these scars?”

It would be easier to reveal all of this if I didn’t have to meet his gaze, but I forced myself to face him, fully prepared to discover murderous intent—another thing I’d gotten used to. Thinking about it, Dion hadmanyquirks.

What I didn’t expect was the soft expression written on his features, and my eyes widened as some of his shadows appeared, easing my back closer to his chest and wrapping around me like a blanket, apart from a tendril that coiled around my wrist in a gentle touch. Although we were still sitting on a moving horse, it felt surprisingly cozy. For once, I allowed myself not to protest against being held too close.

“Tell me about it. Tell me everything, Naya.”

I hated talking about the punishments, and I’d only done so once before. I’d confessed my lashings to Rewi when we’d both been younger. She’d become furious, but ultimately, she’d been just as helpless as me and couldn’t have done anything to stop the beatings. I never blamed her.

And now Dion asked me to open up to him as he tried his best to comfort me. It was surprising that someone who claimed to be a novice when it came to friendship had such a strong understanding of how a friend should behave.

“Well, I’ve never been what you’d call an obedient daughter.”

“I don’t have a hard time comprehending that.”

“Well, joke all you want, but it’s me who always gets stuck with men who are desperately trying to control me.”

“I would never—”

“I know, Dion. I was just trying to lighten the mood. It’s easier for me if I soften dark memories with humor.”

Dion considered me with intense, stormy eyes and nodded.

“I was a wild child and rarely met my father’s expectations. When I was in my teen winters, he decided it was time to form me into somethingbetter. He wanted me to become the perfect woman, one who’d marry advantageously and—of course—pop out a few children for a husband she might despise but still have to worship like a god. Someone who wouldn’t embarrass her parents, who’d be good for the family name instead, and so on. In short, he wanted me to be everything I wasn’t. You’re painfully aware of how much I love to discuss, and I couldn’t accept that I wasn’t allowed to have my own opinions and forge my own way instead of always being some kind of inferior property to men. Istillcan’t accept that.”

Dion’s shadow blanket squeezed me lightly for comfort, but he just let me continue talking.

“So he punished my transgressions more and more fiercely. At first, I was just sent to my room or had to go to sleep without an evening meal. When that was of no avail, father resorted to taking away the few possessions I loved desperately. He destroyed my entire book collection,donated the only necklace I had as a memento of my late grandmother to the local shrine, and took away my bed for weeks. He hoped something would break my spirit.”

“But it didn’t. You’re far too stubborn for that.” I could be wrong, but Dion sounded weirdly proud.