Oh, it’s a tragedy you’ll never know. He glances sidelong at me.

I murmur a laugh, and it feels so good that I tell myself to remember it forever. When I look at him again, he’s smiling serenely. I can feel the ebb and flow of his emotions against my thoughts. Some of them make me blush. Under it, though, he’s tense, and I know the feeling because it bubbles within me too.

The instant we step out of this space, the rest of the world returns.

Finally, Red lets out an uncomfortable cough and stirs so that he can look at me. Can you…, he begins, then stops, as if he doesn’t know how to continue. I can feel where he’s going, though. Can you sense Constantine right now?

I reluctantly let my thoughts loose and force myself to concentrate on the ever-present beating of the Premier’s heart in my mind. Always, I tell Red after a pause.

Can you sense his emotions?

He is being careful with them, I answer, just as I am. But I think he’s afraid.

At that, Red snorts in disbelief. I hope he’s cowering in some corner.

I’m quiet. I think about the night I’d found him in that secret chamber in his greenhouse, his hunched figure over his desk, all those frantic maps and drawings pinned above him. I think of the dark circles under his eyes, the constant undercurrent of his fear that his time is coming to an end.

He’s still just a man, I finally reply. And he comes with all its insecurities.

Red senses the sober emotion in me and turns to look at me. What do you think his next move will be?

He knows Cardinia will fall, I answer. And survival has always been his goal. We just have to get to him before he finds a way to escape.

Red narrows his eyes. He won’t escape. We’ll trail him until he’s cornered.

He’s always been good at blocking his feelings from me. I give him a grim smile. But I’ve sensed something new from him lately.

What is it?

Uncertainty.

It’s enough to make Red tighten his grip against my arm. A trickle of hope, wary and strained, comes from him.

Well, he answers. It’s something.

Adena’s voice rings out from somewhere across the garden. It’s the sound of her that finally stirs us out of each other’s arms, suddenly feeling light and awkward. I look in the direction of her calls, pinpointing where she’s coming from, then begin to pull my clothes back on. Red moves quickly and quietly beside me. Our moment is over, but I still feel the warmth lingering between us like a rope, tugging tight.

By the time we hurry out of the thicket, Adena has already made her way to the beginning of the grove of trees. She lets out a relieved sigh at the sight of us, then points back toward the estate.

“Jeran’s already out there,” she says breathlessly. “We could use your help.” She pauses to squint at us. “You two were gone for a while.”