CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Wait For Me
Liv
I’m not going to cry, damn it.
I squeeze my hands into fists as Pytr turns to face me. I can barely make out his expression in the dim light of the smoldering fires beneath the massive ovens. He said there are only two ways out of the Towers: the gates and the trash. From the smell, I already know which way he’s steering me.
“You found a way to get out,” I whisper.
It’s not exactly a question. I don’t dare ask too much. He said he can’t tell me how he’ll leave the Towers, and gods, I know I have to respect that. But still, I can’t stop the fear that makes my voice tremble.
He nods. “I’ll come back to you,” he says, in a voice as deep as the Ever-Reaching River. His eyes gleam in the low, hungry light. “I keep my promises.”
If I try to swallow the sob in my throat, I’ll choke. So I let it out as a laugh, hard and cold.
“Shit,” I mutter, wiping my eyes. “I knew you were in trouble, Pytr.”
“I am,” he replies, in that low, cold voice. “But there’s a way out. And I swear to you, Liv. I’m coming home.”
“When?” The question flies out of my mouth before I can stop it.
His expression shifts, and he turns away, like he’s listening to something only he can hear. When he turns back, he takes both my hands in his.
“Wait for me,” he says.
It’s not a question. Still, I answer.
“I’ll wait,” I whisper.
It’s a promise. Even though it will kill me to limp back home alone, even though Old Rae will tell everyone that Liv went all the way to Silver City to find the husband who didn’t want to be found, and even though the nights will be even longer and colder in the stupid hayloft of my mom’s stupid barn. I’ll wait for him. And how long?
Well, it doesn’t matter, now does it?
Because I also keep my promises.
Pytr pulls me close and kisses me, hard and fast. It feels like the end of something. The tears I try to bite back sting my eyes in the gloom as Pytr drags something long and dark out from behind an empty bin.
“Put this on,” he whispers. “You can leave it in the alley once you’re through.”
I take the wrinkled fabric from him and shiver. It smells exactly like you’d expect.
“Oh, and this,” Pytr adds, pressing a soft fabric bag into my palm.
It’s heavy. Coins clink against each other softly as I move the bag.
“What—” I begin, but Pytr stops my question with another kiss.
His lips press to mine, softer this time, as he lifts the bag from my hand and tucks it into my vest. Then he ties the long, dark cloak around my shoulders.
“I didn’t steal it,” he whispers. “I’m sorry there’s not more.”
My vision blurs, smearing the shadows as they close over Pytr’s face.
He leans forward, then pushes open a metal door in the wall.
The hinges protest as it opens, and the smell that drifts up through the darkness makes it clear this is absolutely the trash chute.
My gut rolls over, even as Pytr pulls me into another embrace, crushing me to his chest so tightly it almost hurts.
“Wait for me,” he whispers, his breath hot against my neck.
If I try to speak, I’ll lose it. So I just nod. Pytr pulls away. His eyes shine with tears.
“I love you,” he says. His voice sounds broken, like it’s been dragged through the sand for miles.
I wipe my eyes and shake my head.
“I love you too,” I reply in my own cracked and broken voice. “You idiot.”
He grins, his teeth flashing in the dim light.
“Go,” he whispers. “Watch the road. When I come, I’ll bring flowers.”
If I stare at him any longer, I’m going to lose whatever strength I still have. I’ll crack, and I’ll drag him through this hole with me, and damn anyone who tries to stand in our way.
And then we’d have to run forever.
I sigh, turn away from my husband, and drop into the trash chute before I can stop myself.
My feet hit the cobblestones, pushing the breath from my lungs. I stumble forward, slipping on something I really don’t want to think about. I rip the dark cloak off, shove it behind a barrel, and stumble forward. The sky above the alley is the deep indigo that comes just before dawn.
I almost make it to the inn before my grief catches me, and I collapse with my back against a wall, hide my face in my hands, and sob like my heart is breaking.