BRIAR’S POV
I manage to get all the bad blood out of Tavian after our casual talk through the night. Even after he leaves, everything he says settles into my mind, engraving itself deep and keeping me awake.
I toss and turn, completely restless, before deciding against the sleep that seems to evade me. Instead, I step out of my room. Sure enough, Deborah is there, talking to a guard.
Their conversation halts as soon as I peek through the door and they notice me.
She waves the guard away, fully facing me.
“You’re awake.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” I say, stepping out fully in my thin nightgown.
She carefully pulls off the jacket hanging over her shoulders and wraps it around mine without saying much.
“Would you like to go for a walk to calm your mind?”
“That actually sounds nice.”
