Chapter 22

“You’ve done nothing that proves I should trust you,” he said. Talfryn sank to the other end of the bench, not far enough away, but the cell was too small for them to really be apart.

“Let’s see: I saved your life, my mother and I stitched you up—which you’ve healed verywell from, I noticed, when we slept togetherthe other day.” Akton cringed as Talfryn listed everything off. “I cooked for you, walked next to you, and slept by you for days, and failed to murder you at any point. I believed your story from the moment you mentioned it. I prevented you from melting your tongue out—”

“You did that to get laid,” said Akton, though it was something he doubted. “And it worked. How long did it take you to perfect that?”

“Since you’re the first person I’ve ever had to rescue with a kiss, I guess that means I’m a genius, and my sinister trick worked perfectly the first time.” Talfryn’s words were dry. “I’m sure you weren’t interested before then, either.”