Maria Snyder - Sea Glass

He could have run away. I pushed away the dreadful memories of him and considered his deeds since we returned from Ixia. He’d had plenty of opportunities to disappear.

“Why did you stay?”

He shot me an incredulous look. “I told you before.”

To protect me. “But why?”

“To make amends.”

He had decided long ago what I just figured out. Not to let guilt rule him by atoning for his past actions.

“I know you will never forgive me, but this way I can live with myself.”

I gaped at him. A response bubbled and popped in my throat. Could I forgive him? It would take time and experience. “Never say never.”

He laughed. “A glimmer of hope.” With a hitch in his step, he walked toward me. “I have something for you.”

Pleased I didn’t flinch as he neared, I asked, “Did you get hurt?” I gestured to his leg.

“No. I have to get…used to this body again. I am taller than Ulrick.”

And the scar on his neck gave him a rugged, handsome appearance, adding to his lean and muscular build. With the tattoos gone, I wondered how he looked without a shirt. I berated myself for my thoughts. At one time, his visage haunted me.

He handed me a narrow box. “Go on. Open it.”

I lifted the lid, revealing a black leather holder. Inside the sheath was a pearl-handled switchblade. Palming the weapon, I pressed the button. The blade shot out with hardly a sound.

“It is crafted by the Bloodgoods using the finest steel,” Devlen said. “You can clip the holder to a belt or strap it around your arm or thigh.”

I examined the metal blade. Symbols had been etched into the steel. “What are these?”

He grinned with devious glee. “Ixian battle symbols. Janco helped me with them.”

“Janco? Are you friends now?”

He laughed. “Hardly. But he claimed he would suffer my presence since I no longer had magic.”

Sounded like Janco. I brandished the weapon. “What do they say?”

“I am not telling you. You will have to ask your annoying Ixian friend.” He turned serious for a moment. “If I am going to be spending time in the Fulgor prison, I will not be around to help you. With your tendency to find trouble, I wanted you to have a sturdy blade.”

“I’ll ignore the trouble remark and just thank you for the gift. Besides, I’ve been training. I’m not so easy to beat anymore.”

He touched my arm. “You never were easy. Not even when you were fourteen.”

My mouth felt dry. When did he get so close?

“I had men sobbing in less than two hours. You lasted days. I admired your resistance and tenacity. Later in Ixia, I admired your intelligence and resourcefulness. Even disguised as Ulrick and with the addiction to blood magic burning inside me, I never pretended with you.”

“But—”

He pressed his fingertips to my mouth. The heat from them spread throughout my body. “My feelings toward you were genuine. Those days we were together as a couple were the happiest of my life.”

I swallowed a lump of dust. He replaced his hand with his lips and kissed me. Devlen stopped before I could…what? Kiss him back? Push him away?

“I have not made enough amends. So expect to see me again.” He trailed his fingers along my arm and squeezed my hand as if swearing an oath. Turning, he left without saying another word.

I groped for a chair. Sinking into the cushions, I struggled to understand my conflicting emotions. An epiphany failed to settle the questions. Time and experience would have to suffice for now. However, Kade’s arrival helped banish the confusion to another part of my mind where I could dwell on it later.

He glanced around. “You haven’t finished yet. Opal, I know you don’t like to pack, but—”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him.

He smiled. “If you’re trying to avoid pack—”

I covered his mouth with mine and didn’t let him speak for a long long time.

He pulled away. “What was that for?”

“To thank you for saving my life.”

“Not me. Yelena—”

“Not exactly. Leif earns the credit for keeping me alive. You deserve a kiss for giving me a reason to eat.”

“How romantic. Is that how you’re going to introduce me? ‘Councilor Greenblade, I’d like you to meet the man who gives me a reason to eat.’”

“Sounds like a plan.” I sorted through my meager possessions, packing what I needed for the trip.

“Wait a minute. Did you say Leif gets the credit?”

“Yes.” I explained about my immunity.

He frowned, mulling over the information. “Zitora said you sacrificed your magic for her, but she didn’t mention anything else.”

“She’s letting me decide who to tell. Right now you, me, Yelena and Leif are the only ones.”

“Who else will you tell?” Kade asked.

“For now, no one.”

“What are you going to do next?”

Decide what to tell the Council, figure out my role in Sitia, deal with my mother and try to become comfortable with the idea of Devlen being one of the good guys.

Instead of listing all my future problems, I focused on the man in front of me.

“Next, I’m going surfing. I know this handsome Stormdancer, and he promised to teach me.”

Kade grinned. “I thought you were afraid of the water.”

“Not anymore.”