Death Sworn(65)

I don’t think so. When they reached a narrow branch in the passageway, Ileni turned abruptly and headed into a rough, winding corridor. After a moment, she heard Sorin follow.

She didn’t have to go far before they were out of sight. In the dim light, the curves and lines of the cave walls looked like bones, the dark cracks like malevolent narrowed eyes. Ileni turned on her heel and waited until Sorin was standing right in front of her, his mouth an unyielding line. His closeness made her blood sizzle, overcoming her nerves. She slid one hand behind his neck and pulled him even closer.

It was like trying to pull a stone. He didn’t back away, but he also didn’t move forward. Humiliation scorched her, and she dropped her hand to her side.

“Ileni.” His voice was so low she wouldn’t have been able to make out the words if he hadn’t been so close. “We can’t do this.”

“Can’t we?” She wished she could disappear into the stones behind her. “Last night, it seemed like we could.”

“We shouldn’t have—” He drew in a sharp breath. It sounded like he was in pain. Well, good. “Don’t you understand how unwise—how dangerous it is? None of us are supposed to touch you. The master commanded it.”

Her eyes burned, and she had to hold them wide open to keep tears from spilling over. What was wrong with her? He wasn’t important. He wasn’t the reason she was here or the reason she had stayed.

“Afraid of danger, are you?” she said, with every bit of scorn she possessed.

“No. I don’t care if I die.” He said it through gritted teeth. “I care if you die.”

Ileni drew in a breath. “So do I. But what’s life without a little danger?”

He pushed her back against the wall and leaned in. His mouth was inches from hers. “It’s more than a little.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“We have to go to the master and tell him everything.”

“What?” Ice ran up her spine. She raised her hands to push him away, but he had already stepped back. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the imperial spies. This has gone beyond smuggling chocolates. We can’t keep it from him. We never should have.”

“Sorin, you can’t. It’s too late. If you tell him, he’ll know you hid the truth until now—”

He pivoted and walked away, throwing words over his shoulder. “And he’ll punish me as I deserve.”

“He might kill you! And even if you don’t care, I do—” He wasn’t even slowing down. Ileni ran after him, feet pounding at the ground, and grabbed his shoulder. “He’ll kill Bazel too, and you promised—”

Sorin jerked away from her and whirled, his face colder than she had ever seen it.

“If you talk to him, he’ll figure it out,” Ileni said frantically. “You know he will. Even if you don’t say anything, he’ll know the truth. About . . . about us.”

He met her eyes. His were dark and hollow, and she recognized the expression on his face. She had seen it last night, but she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it.

It was shame.

He was ashamed of her.

She felt small and loathsome, and for a moment she hated him for that. “If you tell him, he’ll kill me, too. Do you care?”

Sorin’s throat convulsed. “You know I do. But I . . . Ileni, I can’t—”

“Can’t what?” Ileni snarled. “Keep any part of your life for yourself? Any part of yourself for yourself? Care about anything that’s not part of your master’s plan?”

“Stop it!” He grabbed her wrist, holding so tight it hurt. She was too angry to be afraid. “You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly! He took you when you were little, surrounded you with people who taught you that nothing was important, including you. And you knew it wasn’t true, but you had no one to tell you differently—”

His laugh hurt more than his grip, which was growing tighter and tighter. “Until you came along, and changed everything? Is that what you believe?”

She jerked her arm out of his grip just as the ground beneath her began to shake.

She staggered backward. The walls shuddered around her, the ground tilting beneath her feet. Sorin took one quick step sideways, then stood perfectly still. Only his head and eyes moved as he took in every inch of the shaking cavern. He held two daggers, one in each hand. Ileni had no idea where they had come from.