Page 91 of Rite of Unity

He laced our fingers together, splaying mine wide, as he spun us, reversing our positions.

“I know you keep the truest parts of yourself locked away where even you can't find them.”

My heart was loud in my ears.Too close.He was too close.

I tore my hand from his grasp, backing up."You're wrong."

A knock sounded at Calden’s back, and he raised an eyebrow.

I held my finger to my lips.

“Yes?”

“Maryn, are you coming to eat?”

Calden pushed off the door, crowding closer to me.

“Yes.”My voice came out higher than I meant.I coughed.“Yes.In a minute.”

Calden ran a hand over my cheek, wrapping a dark strand of my hair between his fingers and twisting it.My breath caught.I held it.

"Okay," Nami finally replied, her footsteps retreating down the hall.

I exhaled.

Calden leaned into me, his nose dragging over my hair like he was memorizing my scent.

I backed up, cheeks burning.“Get.Out.”

“You don’t want that.”He smiled, closing the distance between us.There was nothing chivalrous in the way he watched me.

Shuffling sounded outside, and I glanced down.

Calden swallowed the distance between us, and my eyes widened as I silently pleaded with him to say nothing.

We stared at the door, the heat of his body pressed against mine, raising the hair on my arms.

An eternity passed before the shadow moved, slinking away.I motioned for him to move and he slipped behind the door.

I threw it open, shuddering as Sera’s door clicked shut down the hall.

Backing up, I shut mine, leaning against it and closed my eyes for a moment.Had she heard?

“Please.”

Calden straightened.

“I’ll go if that’s what you really want.”

“I do.”

He nodded and passed me, stooping to grab his shoes from under my bed.

I watched him, saying nothing as he laced them and stood.

“If you don’t want me to come back… I won’t.”

I should say yes.I should have demanded it, but my chest squeezed.