Lyra watched Tarek carefully. The way he eased around them, how he smiled at Kaela, it helped her feel normal. But the part of Lyra that was damaged screamed at her that Tarek couldn’t be there just to help them, and the way he looked at Kaela worried her, with echoes of Merrow’s threat playing through her mind.
“You shouldn’t come here,” she told him, looking at the ground instead of the smile Kaela couldn’t hide or the blush reddening her pale cheeks.
“I know,” he said softly, looking behind him to check there was no one else in the corridor outside the palatial room.
“I cannot say that I am upset with my orders, though. Word has spread of what Merrow has offered. It seems it is true, and I’d like to help.”
Kaela stiffened, her gaze snapping to Lyra, “Offered?”
Lyra shook her hea
