er, grabbing my coat before

ing from the glacial cold has drawn all the energy from me, I collapse against the front door before stumbling into in. Tai is lounging back on the couch, looking up from his book as I don

ara

g my cheeks from the exertion of running up the hill to our cabin tucked so neatly into the woods. How long has Mar

n me, seeing nothing but wide eyes and a panicked look. My mind still strug

on slinking in slowly, surely. We both know this was coming, yet we never talked about it once. Marek has been haunting us both, and just h

ab his coat from the hook, drawing it over his shoulders. "I've been in contact w

my arms around

begins the plan he has clearly had since we arrived. My plan was to train, to make myself stronger and fast

olds my shoulders, firm and sure, the only balanced thing in my life right n

rtation to our cabin and pack our bags into it. It's a small cabin, clearly used for transporting workers from one site to another. I don't even

carriage's once were. He doesn't seem so bothered as he watches me intently, j

he still silence with his warm voice. I shudder, pulling m

the mountains, but Tai has assured me we are close to the border. Night has turned into dawn, colours of violet, azure and pink bleeding together acros

king his head. "I someh

y gloved hands. I remember the way he pinned me to the wall, completely abl

at in public, in front of all my friends and announced himself as my husband. It all feels so purposef

says simply, rubbing his sleeve on the window so he can look out properly.

here? Like where ar

a multitude of abandoned shacks on the beach. No one wants to live there beca

Beggar's can't be

lovely weather, so there is less of a chance to be questioned. Even better, it's densely populated, making it easier to blend in. We may actually have a chance there. On a particularly smooth patch of road, Tai sweeps over to sit next t

asks softly. "Not much," I a

murmurs, his words a silent warning. He knows I've been fighting my past feelings for months now, and that it wouldn't be impossibl

ad back against the wall, feeling the

turn my head to look at him, admiring the way the shadows frame his cheekbones, causing his feature

en another issue that I haven't been able to get out of m

head on his shoulders. I've spent many nights crying hysterically to him, hatin

ry get so

e. I didn't sleep last night, so I rest my head against Tai

*

t takes a moment for everything to come back to me. We have been travelling for a few days, not stopping often. I've awoken with my head on Tai's lap, the rest of my body aching from being curled up on the wooden bench. Tai doesn't say anyth

ing by, not paying our carriage any mind. We are by the sea, unable to see it

gn, the architecture like nothing I've seen before. Everything is drenched in bright, vivid colours, strange plants r

reathes, sliding closer to l

ome," I