Page 31 of Salt Between the Wolves
Nothing about the night in her room had felt unchanged. Nothing about the way Soren had looked at her, or the way he had touched her.
And yet somehow they had ended up here anyway, separated by silence once more.
She let out a slow breath.
Perhaps that was the answer. Perhaps she had mistaken desire for something deeper. The thought settled uneasily in her chest.
Before she could follow it any further, another horse drifted alongside hers.
Riven.
“You've been staring at the same tree for ten minutes.”
Eira blinked and glanced at him.
“I have not.”
“You absolutely have.”
“I was thinking.”
“Dangerous activity.”
She nearly rolled her eyes.
Riven looked far too pleased with himself.
“Careful,” he continued. “A few more hours of that and they'll start expecting wisdom from you.”
“From me?”
“Exactly. Expectations should remain realistic.”
A laugh escaped before she could stop it.
Riven's grin widened immediately.
“There she is.”
“Who?”
“The person I've been trying to talk to since we left.”
“I've answered every question you've asked.”
“Yes, but only with one-word responses.”
“Maybe your questions weren't very interesting.”
A nearby rider barked out a laugh.
“She’s got you there.”
“Stay out of this,” Riven said without even turning around.
The hunter only laughed harder, and somehow that seemed to invite everyone else into the conversation.
By the time they reached the next rise, nearly half the patrol had joined in, with most of the attention focused on Riven—as expected.
