Page 112 of Thief of Hearts

Perhaps I had imagined the whole thing.

I was in the Invara dream again. But something was different. Eramis was gone, and instead of Invara standing tall and proud, she had collapsed to one knee. She struggled to lift her head to look at me. But she finally managed, her steel-gray eyes flashing.

Win.

She could speak to me again. Then whatever had pushed her to the ground hit me as well, that same loud noise that made me feel like I was drowning. I woke with a gasp, trying to breathe.

Zain slept on and at some point Dagger had come out and crawled into our bed, his feet straight up in the air.

I went into the washroom to prepare for my day and to prevent myself from staring at Zain while he slept. Because, I told myself, that was a strange and creepy thing to do.

After I’d used the toilet and washed my face, I looked at my reflection and wondered why I had heard Invara again.

I hadn’t slept for more than a few minutes at a time when we had crossed the Wastelands because I’d been too uncomfortable. The smell, the men always talking, the creaking of the wheels, hitting every single rock in our path, the constant thirst, and feeling sorry for Zain all conspired to keep me awake.

Last night was the first time since the tournament that I’d been able to sleep through the night.

I remembered that it was the last night of the tournament when Invara hadn’t been able to speak to me at all.

What was different about now and then?

The only difference I could think of was Zain. He had left me that night, and now he was back and she could speak again.

But how or why would those two things be related?

Ask Zain.

“Quiet. I had quite enough of your opinions last night.”

“Who are you talking to?” His voice startled me.

“Myself,” I said.

“I understand. Often in my life in order to have company equal to me, I’ve had to speak to myself.”

My lips twitched at his joke. “The washroom is all yours.”

He stood in the doorway, so I had to brush past him as I walked out and every nerve ending I possessed sparkled with excitement.

I’d been in a rush earlier and hadn’t noticed what Dione had done. Not only did she have a breakfast tray waiting for us, but she had managed to get our armor and weapons returned.

I ran over to my sword and picked it up, wishing I could hug it. My grandmother’s shield! I had thought I’d never see it again. I put it down and swung my sword around a few times.

It had been far too long. I wanted to train. I quickly changed and began practicing my drills, just as my grandmother had taught me.

At some point Zain came out of the washroom and sat at the table, eating an apple and watching me.

“What are you doing?” I finally asked him.

“Enjoying the view.”

I was sweaty and breathing hard. “How could you like this?”

“I like watching you fight, the way that you move. It’s almost like dancing. I like watching you writhe and moan my name more, but this is a decent substitute.”

Goddess, I had moaned his name? I didn’t remember.

He took another bite of his apple and then said, “I also enjoy seeing how long you can do one activity without taking a break.”