Read Online Thorne (Random Romance) by Charlotte McConaghy - Free Book Online Page B

was like this every night and some days.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered. ‘I’m sorry this has taken so long. But I will end this, I promise.’
     
    Needing air, I walked onto our balcony and made my way slowly down the steps. Another beautiful night, but something was tapping at the edges of my calm, whispering to me with a kind of sick urgency.
    I hadn’t truly believed that the rumour could be true. That there could be a way to break the unbreakable bond. But why else would Emperor Falco call us to his city? Why would he make such a spectacle of it if the whispers weren’t true?
    I reached the sand and let my bare feet sink into the coarseness of it. It was late and everyone had gone to bed. The beach was empty; the night was full. Moving to the water, I let the waves lap at my ankles and looked up to realise I was wrong. There was another figure on the beach, some few hundred yards down. And with a strange ache in my chest, I knew who it must be.
    I walked towards him and saw him turn in the moonlight. Catch sight of me. Stiffen in surprise. Neither of us spoke as I arrived to stand beside Thorne. We dipped our toes in the cold surf, not looking at each other.
    There was, inexplicably, something alive in the space between our bodies.
    I closed my eyes, squeezed them shut very tight as if to block out his overwhelming, silent presence. The waves were loud in my ears, too loud.
    ‘It’s gone,’ Thorne murmured.
    I looked up into his face.
    ‘I never thought it would be.’ His lips quirked. ‘Your smile.’
    I looked away. ‘It rests sometimes.’
    ‘I don’t like it when it’s gone.’
    ‘I thought you were angry with me.’
    ‘For seeing the truth of me?’ He shook his head. ‘No. I could never be angry with you for that.’
    ‘Then you’ll come with us tomorrow?’
    He was silent a long moment. ‘What benefit would travelling together bring us?’
    ‘You’d gain a guide. I know Kaya. I can get you there more quickly. And travelling with a group of Kayans is far less likely to earn you a knife in the back than travelling on your own.’
    He considered this. ‘And you? What do you gain from my presence, Finn of Limontae? Would it not endanger you and your brothers?’
    ‘We’re tougher than we look.’ I folded my arms, watching the ocean. ‘I already told you, Prince Thorne. I find you curious.’
    ‘And that’s it?’
    ‘I’d love to see the feathers you ruffle along the way.’
    ‘Entertainment,’ he said flatly. ‘That’s what you want.’
    ‘Don’t we all?’
    He shook his head but stayed silent.
    ‘Don’t you want to have an adventure?’ I pressed.
    ‘Not particularly.’
    ‘Why? Doesn’t standing still bore you?’
    He glanced at me. ‘We aren’t all afraid of the quiet.’
    My heart lurched. For a second, I hated him. ‘Then what are you afraid of, Mighty Prince of Pirenti?’
    ‘Heights,’ he admitted ruefully. ‘Deathly so.’
    I blinked in surprise. ‘Truly?’
    Thorne nodded and I laughed, relieved for it.
    ‘Penn is not your brother, is he?’
    ‘Not by blood.’
    ‘How have you come to be so close to him?’
    I shrugged. For some reason I didn’t like talking about Penn to other people – they were inevitably curious about him, but I always thought of him as private and ours. Which was stupid, I supposed. ‘He has no parents. Was being raised by his grandma, but she’s … difficult. Her mind went a long time ago, and as you can imagine that’s not a great environment for someone like Penn to grow up in. He was just another child of the cliffs at first. But he was lonely and we fell in love with him, and he just sort of … joined the family. Sometimes he lives with us, sometimes he doesn’t.’
    ‘Will he go with you to Sancia?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘You don’t think it … dangerous?’
    I glanced at Thorne. ‘I’ll give you a piece of advice, Prince. Don’t underestimate Penn.’
    He nodded, but I didn’t think he’d really believe me