thunderstruck | book #2 | discontinued

X X V I I I

Remy breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the Opal household with Maksim, the tension of the uncomfortable dinner evaporating into the cool night. The streets were lit with flickering silver flames contained within lanterns, making Remy feel as though she was both in the past and the future as she walked along the cobbles, her red dress dragging behind her. She had no idea where her old clothes had gone when Hilda had used a spell to dress her in her funeral robes, and she had not asked for fear of sounding silly.

Maksim was silent as he walked slowly beside her, his eyes on the stones below him. He had insisted on being the one to take her home and Remy had not argued, knowing it would be good for him to have space from his father if nothing else.

"Are you alright?" she asked finally, her voice loud. She had almost forgotten about Astracia's lack of traffic, how quiet it made the streets when there was no one else around. It felt nice to notice it now, to be able to breathe in clean air and walk without fearing anything but her own footsteps. She had not felt this peaceful since she had returned home, where she could never relax because everything was too loud and too bright and too much, where her heart wanted to beat out of its own chest for the pain she was in. She felt safe here. She felt at home.

Then she remembered the shadow of the man she had seen at the dining table and her unease returned.

"I am fine," Maksim responded through gritted teeth, shoving his hands into the pockets of his long green coat. His hair was freckled with bits of snowdust. "I am just sorry you had to endure my mother's cooking and my father's irritating presence. I am sure it is not how you wished to end your secretive little visit."

Remy closed her eyes and inhaled, pushing away the guilt that threatened to wash over her. You have nothing to feel guilty for, she told herself. He left you—not the other way around. "There was nothing secretive about it. You just can't stand that something doesn't involve you."

"No." He stopped in his tracks. Remy turned back to face him, frowning when she saw that anger still contorted his face—only it was not directed at his father anymore. It was directed at her. "I cannot stand that you have returned without even a word of warning in order to whisper in dark corners and share odd looks with my mother, of all people, leaving me no explanation, no understanding, of what on Refilyn is going on."

"You're right," she agreed, turning to walk again without waiting for Maksim to follow her. He loitered behind her, his eyes burning a hole into her back. "I should have warned you first. I should have popped into a portal or sent you a text on my magical inter-realm telephone saying, 'I know you said you never wanted to see me again, but actually I'm planning a visit soon. Don't worry, though, it's nothing to do with you, so you can go back to flirting with Tykon's sister.'"

He caught up with her, his expression blank as they turned the corner into Astracia's town square. "You realise I did not understand a word of what you just said. What is a telephone? And what has Tabitha to do with any of this?"

The water fountain bubbled, its clear water glistening in the moonlight. Remy glared at it to avoid meeting his eyes, heat rising to her cheeks when she realised what it was she had said. She had tried not to be jealous, had tried not to think about how flustered Maksim had been when he had introduced her to Tabitha, but she could not forget about his blush or how beautiful the witch had been.

"I'm not stupid, Max," she muttered. "I saw the way you were with her."

"And what way was I, exactly?"

"You were flustered," she said quietly, her heart dropping as they reached the arch leading to Central Hall. The cold, damp walls she passed through reminded her that soon she would be in Calderdale again, and this might have been the last conversation she was to have with Maksim before she went home.