Page 229 of Salt Between the Wolves

The question arrived so unexpectedly that Eira almost missed it.

She looked over.

"Who?"

"Soren."

The name settled heavily between them, and the sea suddenly seemed louder than before.

Eira stared ahead.

"I wasn't aware we were discussing Soren."

"We are now."

His tone remained casual, almost too casual, which immediately told her the question was important.

"What did I think of him when?"

"The first day."

Leander's gaze remained fixed on the road ahead.

"The first time you saw him."

Eira considered the question, and the answer came far more easily than she expected.

"Dangerous."

Leander nodded once.

"As expected."

"Arrogant."

Another nod followed.

"Unreasonable."

A faint smile appeared.

"Now you're being generous."

Despite herself, Eira laughed, and the sound surprised both of them because it had been a while since either had heard it.

The smile faded.

"So why are we talking about him?"

For the first time that morning, Leander's expression grew serious. This was the conversation he had been approaching all along, while everything before it had merely been a path leading here.

"I want you to understand something."

The wind tugged at his soft dark-blond hair while his gaze remained fixed on the cliffs ahead.

"I am not going to tell you to return to him."

Eira blinked because that was not the answer she had expected.