Page 30 (1/2)

I relaxed further into hiet to your castle?”

“If ere able to take the s will be watching it, a day The route we have to take, likely three,” Tor answered and I straightened, twisted and looked up at him

“Three?”

“Yes, love, three”

Holy crap That was a serious detour

I turned back and fell silent In the distance I saw a bunch of deer lift their heads in our direction, sensing us Then as a group they took off, gracefully running up a hill into a forest

I’d never seen that many deer in my life A few here and there, but there had to be thirty,

My eyes slid across the landscape, experiencing greens greener than I’d ever seen before, wildflowers running riot in the fields around Sales and beyond, a faraway body of water that was the blue of Tor’s eyes In fact, it seeely the very air sparkled like it had tiny pieces of near invisible glitter floating in it

It was hed

Then I decided to take a chance and rested ?” I asked

“Anything, sweets,” he mumbled and I felt his chin come to rest where my neck met my shoulder

Oh boy That felt nice

“Can you pro before I tell you?” I went on

“Ask ently

Well, that wasn’t a yes but it wasn’t a no and it was a maybe said in a tone I liked so I sallied forth

“Okay, I want to talk about so you don’t believe and won’t like But can you just pretend you believe or, I don’t know, just keep silent?”

I received no response for soave me a squeeze and he answered, “I can do that, Cora”

“Really?” I whispered to the landscape

“Really, love, what do you want to talk about?”

I pulled in a deep breath and then shared what had been nigglinghoain and I went on quickly “No, don’t say anything I know you think I ao to sleep, I expect to wake up back inthat And as the days pass by, I’s about this that are nagging me”

He didn’t lift his chin from my shoulder when he prompted, “And those are?”

“Well,” I started, “if I’m here, that means the other Cora is there And if she’s like you say she is… uer I’ve been there years and I et rid of people If she doesn’t figure out she has to work for a living, or decides not to, or figures it out, goes in and doesn’t knohat she’s doing, which, by the way, in my world she can’t possibly know, or by soet it, love,” he cut me off quietly

I sucked in breath Then I said, “I can’t lose et up to and the longer I’et up to it”