Chapter 31

• Kelvin's hands were warm against my flesh, at the touch and he was kind as he put a moist towel over the cut on my shoulder. I mourned silently, the pain from the cut and, other than his steady breathing and the distant crackle of the fire, the cave was silent. The night was quiet outside. It seemed odd, as if no one else knew what we had lost. I should have pulled away. I should have told him no. However, I didn't. I let him touch me, let him clean the wounds I barely felt anymore. My body ached, but my heart ached worse. And the hairpin he gave me sat heavy on my lap, a fragile piece of silver that had somehow survived the flames when everything else had turned to ash.
• Kelvin dipped the cloth into the bowl of water again, his expression unreadable as he cleaned my wound.
• “Did you keep it all this time?” he asked, in a low voice. I swallowed hard. “Yes.” As he lifted my wrist, his fingertips stroked my arm, removing the dried blood from the area around my knuckles. I should have been used to this closeness. Once, it had been second nature. But now, each touch seemed like a whisper of something I was not sure I wanted to hear. I clenched my jaw tight. “Why now?” Kelvin’s hand stilled as he turned his gaze at me. “What?”