“I’m not going to lose control again.”
“You seem quite confident for a girl who recently spent a full day unconscious.” She narrows her green eyes at me. “I’m going to be exceedingly annoyed if all my hard work altering your Fyremas gown goes to waste because you wind up offing yourself accidentally.”
I laugh.
She does not. Her tone is deadly serious. “You should wait for Pendefyre.”
I purse my lips in lieu of a response.
“Why is it so important you do this alone?” Carys persists.
“I don’t want to depend on anyone. All right? Especially not on…him.”
“He seems like theonlyperson you truly can depend on. The only one who understands what you are going through. Are you not cut from the same cloth?”
My scoff is indignant. “We could not be more different! He is the most headstrong, high-handed, hot-tempered male I have ever crossed paths with!”
“I have not known you long, so I cannot claim to be an expert on your disposition. But if the stories my husband brought back from your time in the Cimmerians are anything to judge by, you do display your own fair share of temper, Rhya.” Her lips twistin a wry smile. “Perhaps if you’d stop being so intent on hating Pendefyre, you might find you actually have much in common.”
“Humph.”
“Why do you continue to deny the attraction between you two?”
“Attraction?Your pregnancy hormones have gone straight to your head, Carys. We are not attracted to each other.”
Except maybe for a few fraught moments on the road when I’d catch his eye across the fire…Or during our fight in the clearing, when I thought he might kiss me…Or when I’d first seen him shirtless in that sparring pit…Or when I’d awoken in his bed and felt his lips on my forehead…
I shake my head to banish the unwelcome memories.
“We can’t stand to be in the same room most of the time,” I insist, trying to convince myself as much as her. “We’ve never shared a single conversation that did not end in yelling or bloodshed.”
“So?”
“So?You’ve twisted reality to suit your own delusional romantic narrative.”
“Explain it to me, then. How it really is between you two.”
I hesitate. “We are…uniquely connected. There is a bond between us that cannot be severed.”
“The Remnant bond. Yes, Uther told me about it. Is it true you can read each other’s thoughts?”
“No, it’s not like that.” I shudder, aghast at the thought of having Penn inside my head. “It’s more like…knowing someone is standing directly behind you when they haven’t announced themselves. You can sense their presence in your bones, can pinpoint where they are if they’re close by.” I gnaw my bottom lip. “I haven’t been able to feel his presence since he left the city.”
“Mmm.”
My eyes narrow at the knowing smile that curves her mouth behind her teacup. “Mmm…what?”
“I just find it interesting that you claim not to care about him at all, yet just admitted you continually try to sense his presence. It’s a bit of a contradiction.”
“It’s always wise to be aware of the location of one’s enemies.”
Her eyes roll heavenward at my haughty declaration. “Tell me more about the bond. I find it all rather fascinating.”
“There’s not much to tell. We are tethered. Linked. Our bodies, our maegic, our emotions.”
“Your emotions?”
“Sometimes, strong feelings can…spill over.” I take my final sip of tea and set my empty cup back on the table. “I’m working on controlling mine.”