Through the Ever Night (23 page)

Help
. That word again. He was done. He couldn’t hear it one more time. “I’ll consider the offer,” he said, standing. “Is there anything else?”

Kirra blinked up at him. “Do you want there to be?” Her meaning couldn’t have been any clearer.

Perry went to the door and opened it, letting in the night air. “Good night, Kirra.”

She rose to her feet and walked over. Stopping less than a foot in front of him, she stared into his eyes as she inhaled.

Perry’s stomach clenched. She’d stirred his pulse, something he hadn’t felt in weeks. She’d know, but there was nothing he could do to hide it.

“Sleep well, Peregrine of the Tides,” she said, and then slipped out into the darkness.

W
hat are you doing here, Liv?” Aria asked, stepping into her room. She couldn’t keep the anger from her voice.

Liv rose from the bed. “I was looking for Roar. He wasn’t in his room.” The Greek dress looked rumpled now, falling off her shoulder, and she’d taken her hair down, but she looked stronger and more at ease than she had during dinner.

Aria crossed her arms. A lamp flickered by the bedside, lighting the chilly, cramped room. “He’s not here. As you can clearly see.”

“Just give him a message for me—”

“I’m not telling him anything for you.”

Liv smirked. “Exactly who
are
you?”

“A friend of Roar’s and Perry’s.” Aria bit the inside of her lip as soon as the words left her mouth.
Friend
felt like such a weak way to describe herself. She was much more than that—to both of them.

A smile spread across Liv’s face. “Ahh … you’re a friend of Perry’s. I should’ve guessed. You look like someone my brother would be
friends
with.”

“Time for you to leave.”

Liv gave a small laugh, making no move to go. “Does that surprise you? You can’t really think you’re the only girl who’s fallen for him.”

Aria felt her face heat with anger. “I know I’m the only girl he’s rendered to.”

Liv went perfectly still. Then she stepped close, her eyes boring into Aria. The welt from earlier disappeared against the redness of her cheeks. “I will kill you if you hurt him,” she said, her voice calm, unemotional. It wasn’t a threat. It was information. A consequence.

“I was thinking that same thing earlier.”

“You don’t know
anything
,” Liv said. “Tell Roar he has to leave. Right away. Before the wedding. He can’t stay here.”

“How can you act like he’s an
inconvenience
?” Aria spat, thinking of all the nights she’d spent talking with Roar about Liv. Hearing how wonderful she was. This girl was horrible. Selfish. Rude. “
You
ran off!
You
left him! He’s been looking for you for a year.”

Liv waved a hand, gesturing around the room. “Do you think I chose this? Do you think I want to be here? My brother
sold
me! Vale took away everything I wanted.” She glanced at the door, staring at it like she was deciding something, and then stepped closer. “You want to know what I’ve done for the past year? I worked
every day
at forgetting Roar. I shut out every smile, every kiss, every stupid, perfect thing he ever said to make me laugh. I buried
all
of it. It took me a year to stop thinking about him. A year to stop missing him enough to come here and face Sable.

“Roar is ruining everything by being here,” Liv continued. “I’m not strong enough. How can I forget him when he’s right in front of me? How can I marry Sable if all I’m thinking about is
Roar
?”

Tears brimmed in Liv’s eyes, and she breathed raggedly. Aria didn’t want to feel sympathy for her. Not when she’d hurt Roar as much as she had. “He’s here to bring you back, Liv. There has to be a way you can come back to the Tides.”

“Go back?” Liv said with a thin laugh. “Perry can’t repay the dowry. And I can’t run away from this any longer. I know what it’s like out there. I know the Tides need help, and Sable can give it. He’ll
keep
helping if we marry. How can I walk away from that? How can I leave if it means my family could starve—or
die
?”

Aria shook her head. She didn’t know. She let out a breath and sat on the bed as a sudden wave of exhaustion swept over her. Aether flashed through the small window, making the room flicker softly with blue light.

Liv’s problem felt uncomfortably familiar. Aria had been so focused on finding the Still Blue for Hess and on getting Talon back that she hadn’t let herself think about what would happen
afterward
. Would there ever be a way she and Perry could be together? The Tides had rejected her, and Reverie wasn’t even an option. Everyone, and everything, was against them.

Aria pushed away the thoughts. Worrying wouldn’t help anything. She looked up at Liv. “What about Sable?” She rubbed her wrist, feeling the echo of his grip.

Liv shrugged. “He’s not terrible.... I know … it’s not much of a way to think of the man I’m marrying, but it’s better than I’d hoped. I thought I’d hate him, and I don’t.”

She bit her bottom lip, hesitating, like she was deciding whether to say anything more. Then she came to the bed, sitting beside Aria. “When I got here earlier this spring, he was going to let me leave. He told me I could go whenever I wanted, but that since I’d finally arrived, we might as well get to know each other. I didn’t feel as trapped after he said that. It helped me feel less like a
thing
that was being passed around.”

Aria wondered if Sable had said that on purpose. Scires were known for manipulating people. But shouldn’t Liv have seen that?

“I don’t fawn over him,” Liv continued, “and he likes that. I think he sees me as a challenge.” She fiddled with the green rope around her waist. “And he’s attracted to me. The scent he gives off when I enter a room … it’s not something you can fake.”

Aria stared at the door, listening to footsteps outside fade. “Do you feel the same way about him?” she asked when it was quiet again.

“No … not the same.” Liv tied the ends of her belt into an elaborate knot as she thought. “When he kisses me, he makes me nervous, but I think it’s because it feels different.” She met Aria’s eyes. “I’ve never kissed anyone other than Roar, and that’s—”

She shut her eyes, wincing. “This is what I can’t have. I can’t sit here and remember how it feels to kiss Roar when I’m marrying someone else in days. He has to leave. It’s too hard for me like this, and I can’t stand to see him hurting.” She shook her head. “I hate that he makes me feel weak.”

Aria sat back against the iron headboard, remembering Perry on their last night together, bruised and beaten after a fight that had happened because of her. The next day, he lost part of his tribe. She didn’t feel weak because of him. She felt too powerful, like every choice she made had the potential to hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted.

“Roar will move on,” Liv said quietly. Her eyes had softened, and Aria knew she’d read her temper. “He’ll forget about me.”

“You can’t really believe that.”

Liv bit her lower lip. “No,” she said. “I don’t.”

“Will you tell him the truth? Roar needs to know what you’re doing. He needs to know why.”

“You think it will help?”

“No. But you owe it to him.”

Liv watched her for a long moment. “All right. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” She scooted higher on the bed, drawing the blanket over her legs. The sounds of the storm filtered into the room, and a cold draft flowed in beneath the bedroom door. “How is my brother really doing?”

Just a short while ago, she had threatened Aria. Now she was close and relaxed. Lost in her thoughts.
Hot and cold,
Aria thought. She wondered if there was anything in-between with Liv.

Aria pulled the other side of the blanket over her. The last time she’d seen Perry, he’d been bruised and abandoned by so many people. By
her
. She hated knowing she’d added to his pain. “It hasn’t been easy.”

“It’s so much to do. So much to take care of,” Liv said. “He must be out of his mind missing Talon.”

“He is, but we’re getting Talon back,” Aria said before she could stop herself.

Liv frowned, her green eyes roaming over Aria’s face. “Where are you from?”

Aria hesitated. She had the feeling her answer would shape their relationship from that moment on. Should she risk telling Liv the truth? She wanted trust between them, and here, late at night and in the quiet of her room, she just wanted to be herself. She drew a breath and answered. “I’m from Reverie.”

Liv blinked at her. “You’re a
Dweller
?”

“Yes.... Well, a half Dweller.”

Liv smiled, a small laugh bubbling out of her. “How did
that
happen?”

Aria shifted to her side and rested her head on her arm, mirroring Liv. Then she explained how she’d been cast out of the Pod in the fall and met Perry. She told Liv everything that had happened at the Tides’, and how she needed to find the Still Blue to get Talon back. When Aria finished, Liv was silent, and the sounds of the Aether funnels had faded. Rim had seen the worst of the storm.

“I’ve heard Sable mention the Still Blue a few times,” Liv said. Her eyes were heavy with sleep. “He knows where it is. We’ll find out and get Talon back.”

We
. Such a small word, but it felt huge. Aria felt a grounding, settling sort of thrill. Liv would help.

Liv studied her for a long moment. “So you don’t care what happened at the Tides’? That you were poisoned? You’re going back to my brother?”

Aria nodded. “I care, but I can’t imagine
not
going back to him.” Lyrics sprang into mind, well-worn in her singer’s memory. “‘Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame,’” she said. “It’s from an opera called
Carmen
.”

Liv narrowed her eyes. “Are you the bird, or is my brother?”

Aria smiled. “I think the bird is the connection between us.... I’d do anything for him,” she said, and realized that it really was that simple.

Liv’s gaze grew distant. “It’s a good saying,” she said after a long while. She yawned. “I’m going to sleep here. Sorry if I snore.”

“Sure, why don’t you stay? There’s plenty of room if neither one of us moves.”

“That won’t be a problem. I can’t move anyway. This dress is like wearing a tourniquet.”

“You tied the belt wrong. I’ve worn that style of dress before in the Realms. I could show you the right way.”

“No need. It’s a stupid dress.”

Aria laughed. “It’s not
stupid
. You look amazing in it. Like Athena.”

“Yeah?” Liv yawned again and closed her eyes. “I thought Roar would like it. All right. Show me how to tie the stupid dress tomorrow.”

Soon, as promised, Liv snored. It wasn’t loud. Just a soft purr that wove with the sound of the wind, lulling Aria to sleep.

W
hat’s she doing up there?” Perry asked.

He stopped in the clearing and looked to the roof of his house. Kirra’s hair caught his eye like a red flag flapping in the breeze. The sound of hammers pounding carried down to him.

He’d spent the morning at the cavern with Marron, going over plans to grade the bluff that led to the cove. If they could create a switchback path, they’d be able to bring carts and horses down the slope. It would be far better than steps, so it was worth a try, but they’d need more help.

“You don’t know about this?” Reef said, beside him.

“No. I don’t.” Perry climbed the ladder to the roof. Kirra stood a dozen paces away, watching two of her men, Forest and Lark, rip up roof tiles. As he walked over, Perry’s anger built with every step. He felt more protective over this space than he did about his house. This was
his
perch.

Kirra turned to face him, smiling. She rested her hands on her hips and tipped her head to the side.

“Good morning,” she said. “I saw the crack in the ceiling last night. I thought we’d take care of it.”

She’d spoken louder than necessary, letting her voice carry. Her men looked over, sizing him up. They’d pulled off a section of stone tiles, exposing the battens beneath. Perry knew a dozen Auds in the clearing had heard her as well. It was no mystery what the tribe would think. Everyone knew that gap was above his loft.

He drew a breath, forcing down his rage. She was changing something that didn’t need to be changed. He’d watched the Aether through that gap for as long as he could remember, but he couldn’t stop the work now. The sliver that had been a few inches wide had grown to a hole more than a foot across, exposing the inner beams. Through it, he could see the blankets in his loft below.

“Bear told me about a few other things we could take care of while we’re here,” Kirra said.

“Take a walk with me, Kirra,” he said.

“I’d love to.” The sound of her voice—sweet as nectar—chafed at his nerves.

Perry felt the eyes of people on them as they came down the ladder and crossed the clearing together. He took the trail to the harbor, knowing he’d find it empty. It was too early in the day for the fishermen to be back.

“I thought we’d make ourselves useful,” Kirra said when they stopped.