“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” he asks before he lifts the covers and scoots out of bed.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back.” He digs into the pile of clothing provided by the innkeeper, finding a pair of pants and a tunic that are a bit tight for his large frame.

Then he leaves the room, and I take my turn digging through the clothing, finding a pair of soft brown leggings and a smaller tunic that fit well enough. There’s something about fresh, clean clothes and fresh, clean skin that feels like the most incredible luxury after the dirt and heat of the sand and the forest and that sweat-slicked escape I barely survived.

A moment later, Nadir appears carrying a tray laden with breakfast. He sets it on a small table in the corner and we sit down across from one another. I almost weep at the taste of coffee and how my teeth sink into the greasy ecstasy of buttered toast. I used to be so acquainted with hunger, but I’ve grown softer since then. I can’t grit my way through it like I used to, but I refuse to feel bad about that. No one should ever have to feel that way.

“So, tell me what happened,” Nadir says, and I sigh. I need to tell him so many things, but so much of it scares me. “Go back to the beginning. How about when you killed me?”

My expression drops, and he reaches over to grab my wrist.

“Lor. It’s okay.”

I rub my face with my other hand. “It’s not. I thought I—”

“But you didn’t. I’m here.”

“Yes, but I fear it made things even more complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have a lot of things to tell you.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

With my hands wrapped around my mug, I take a long sip of coffee, preparing myself. I tell Nadir about waking up in his father’s cart and everything that came after it.

“I broke through a pair of those cuffs—the glowing blue ones? Tyr was wearing them, too.”

“You mean arcturite?” Nadir asks, his eyebrows climbing.

“You had them on, too, but I suppose Zerra must have removed them.”

“You broke through arcturite.” He sits back in his chair, his voice full of disbelief.

“Your father commented on that too. He had more when he tried to recapture me. Is that a big deal?”

Nadir laughs and shakes his head. “It’s a really fucking big deal. Arcturite is one of few things that can cut Fae off from their magic. It’s technically illegal, but obviously, anyone can get their hands on it with enough money and resources. You shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“Oh,” I say. Okay then. That’s an interesting development.

“So you have no control over your magic?” Nadir asks me next.