I told him I was being followed by Darks and was traveling with a dragon. It was safer for the Prince if he was away from me.
Justin, of course, had immediately approved.
Ryan argued.
I told him it wasn’t up for debate.
Ryan had refused to look at me for a long time after that.
Whatever.
I didn’t need his shit.
(I needed his shit.)
(Gods, that sounded wrong.)
It didn’t matter. It didn’t. We’d get back to the city and I would work with Randall and Justin would marry Ryan, and eventually, everything would be okay again. Everything would be—
“I figured you’d be up here,” he said, and I closed my eyes, because of course he would follow me up here. Of course he couldn’t leave well enough alone.
“You figured right,” I said, voice light and even.
I didn’t look over at him as he hoisted himself up through the hatch. He closed the hatch behind him. He obviously wanted this to be private, but beyond that, I didn’t know what else. Whether to try and change my mind about traveling separately or to chew me out for not telling him what a cornerstone was, it didn’t matter. No good could have come from the conversation and I sure as shit wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. I was weak when it came to Ryan Foxheart, and I wouldn’t let him make me weaker.
So when he said, “Mervin, huh?” I flushed furiously and refused to even dignify that with a response.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Should have seen that one.” He moved to stand at the edge of the keep, off to my left. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. I kept my gaze resolutely on the stars. “That one’s on me.”
I waited.
“You never would have told me, would you?”
I could have played dumb, but I was done with games. It wasn’t just about this. It was about everything. “No,” I said.
He nodded, as if that’s the answer he expected. “Because of Justin.”
“Partly.”
“Oh? What were the other parts?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does.”
“Why?”
“Because it matters to me.”
“Why?”
“Gods,” he said through gritted teeth. “You infuriate me.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Sam.”
“What?” I just wanted him to go the fuck away.