The silence after Rhosyn’s words was more terrifying than the words themselves.
Icarus’s arms, still wrapped around me, felt like iron bars. His chest pressed hard against my back, rising and falling with the force of his breath. A moment ago, that closeness had felt like salvation, like fire, like everything I thought I wanted. Now, with Rhosyn staring at us as pale as the moon, it felt like a prison.
“They’re here,” she had said.
Who? What?
My heart pounded, but not with desire this time — with dread.
Icarus moved first. His body shifted, tension snapping through him like a bowstring. He set me down firmly, his hands still on my shoulders as though he thought I’d collapse without him. His eyes, fevered and ravenous seconds before, were now carved from ice.
“Rhosyn,” he said, his vo
