"So… this is part of your plan too, my friend?" Aeson asked with exquisite tact.
Dorian shot to his feet and slammed his fist down on the table so hard the whole thing collapsed in on itself. He didn't spare it a second glance. He strode out the front door, leaving the others behind.
"Where are we supposed to eat now?" Nir complained, pouting down at the wreckage, and Xav rolled his eyes.
"I'd say we have bigger problems," he muttered, arms crossed. He leaned back in his chair and looked around at the others.
"We have problems? Looks to me like Dorian's the only one with a problem," Aeson said with a grin. Nir burst out laughing; Filarion only shook his head.
"Well, that's certainly true. I've never seen a woman talk to him like that," Nir added.
"That's because you didn't know Elora three hundred years ago," Aeson replied, but Marcus cut in before he could go on.
"Give the girl a chance. And give Dorian one too."
He got up from the ruined table and headed for the door.
"In the end we both know he'll do whatever he wants anyway, right?" he tossed over his shoulder. A chorus of noncommittal grunts served as agreement.
Marcus stepped outside and made his way toward the stables. He found Dorian there, brushing down his horse's mane.
"I'm not in the mood to hear your lecture," Dorian said without looking back. He didn't need to; he knew it was Marcus who had come in.
"And what if I didn't come to lecture you?" Marcus chuckled.
"In that case the world's come off its hinges."
Marcus laughed louder, then abruptly fell silent and eyed his friend, brows knit.
"Look, Dorian—"
"This is exactly what I meant," Dorian muttered irritably under his breath, ostentatiously returning to his work.
"It sucks, but I'm saying it anyway. Leonie has every right to be angry with you. You know that, don't you?"
Of course he knew. And he hated the truth of it almost as much as he hated how much it bothered him.
"I know you love punishing yourself for things that aren't your fault… and maybe it rattles you that you care about her, but we can't undo what we've done. We can't erase the last few days."
He drew a breath to continue, but Dorian cut him off.
"You think I don't know that? It's one thing that she hates me. But by taking her, we may have signed her death warrant."
He was referring to the way she'd collapsed, the mysterious pain racking her head and body. That was the other problem looming over him like a storm. What if Filarion couldn't figure out what was happening to her? Could they get her back to elven lands in time to reach a true healer? What if they ran out of time? What if she died?
His throat went dry at the thought.
"We'll figure something out. We always do. But talk to her—and do me one favor. For once in your life, be honest with her. And with yourself."
Before Dorian could reply, Marcus turned and left, abandoning him to his gnawing thoughts.
He went straight to Leonie's room and opened the door without knocking. The girl looked so small and lost that his heart clenched.
"Move over," he said, shooing her gently to the side. Startled, Leonie obeyed without thinking, and Marcus dropped down beside her, folding his hands beneath his head. The old bed creaked in protest, but he didn't seem to notice.
"How are you, little one?" he asked.
Leonie stared at him in disbelief. Marcus always behaved in the most unexpected ways, and yet he was so naturally open and friendly that she realized she'd never felt so at ease beside anyone before.
"Did you know?" she blurted out—the question that had been burning in her since the argument.
She only had to look at his wry expression to know the answer, and her shoulders sagged.
"I see," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry. I only suspected."
They lay silently side by side for a while.
"You should know Dorian never meant you harm. And yes, he can be unbearably hard-headed, but he'd sacrifice anything for the people he cares about."
Leonie said nothing.
"I'm not asking you to forgive him… just to listen to him," Marcus went on.
"He forced me to tell him—" her voice cracked, "You heard everything. How am I supposed to trust him after that?"
She had only just begun to believe she might have a free life ahead of her, and Dorian had proved the opposite at the first opportunity. How much else had he lied about? How much of the last few days had been real?
"I don't suppose it matters anyway. He's disgusted by me, and I get it…"
Shame flared up in her again, hot and suffocating.
"We all make mistakes. Take you, for instance—you couldn't even manage to break Xavier's nose no matter how hard you tried," he said, flashing her a wide grin, hoping she'd understand what he was really trying to say.
He drew a breath and tapped his temple.
"Filarion is already working on a solution," he said, meaning her headaches. "But what you need is sleep, not eavesdropping."
He hopped off the bed and headed for the door.
"Marcus," Leonie called after him. "Thank you."
Marcus turned back and winked at her, then slipped out.