Sam Dogra

Impressive deduction,_ Ryan murmured. __ou certainly look deeper than most._ He brushed back a strand of my hair, and I screwed my eyes shut. He was doing this on purpose. __ut let me give you some advice._ His lips were right next to my ear. __ wouldn__ peer too far. Even the clearest window can cast back your own reflection.

Ryan, if you abandon me here, I will have no choice but to tell your father,_ Navinka cut in. __ou don__ want Aronzo and his men prowling after you again._ She gave a stretch. __ can inform Lord Glenford we are joining my father in Dragonvale. The East Pass is a safe route. He will not insist on sending a further escort._ She flashed a deadly smile. __ can make your life easier or more difficult. I leave the choice to you.

Adam glanced at me. His grin was back. I__ forgotten how easily he could wind me up.__ou know, Eliza,_ he said, __aybe you__e missing something here.___ou__e going to be missing a few teeth if you don__ explain yourself,_ I growled.

So why hadn__ he confronted me? Why hadn__ he torn through my lies and forced me to own up that I__ caught him in a Binding? It wasn__ like he could just brush this off. And that smile before he left, as if he__ been pulling my leg to see my reaction_I shook my head. Ryan was certainly providing his fair share of riddles. There was the tiny possibility he was still clueless and was just teasing me, but I doubted anyone could be that naïve. Even him. My mind began to tick over, desperate for an answer. Only one other thing stuck out in his behaviour. Maybe he was going for a fair exchange strategy. He wouldn__ question my secrets, in the hope I wouldn__ question his.Now that was naïve.

My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. I was snuggled against Ryan__ shoulder. We were burrowed under the cloak and sleeping bag, and my hand rested on his cheek, about to swat the stray hair that had fallen over my face. This wouldn__ have been so bad, if not for one tiny detail.Ryan was awake.

I remained silent, adrift in a torrent of mixed feelings. The Binding urged me to curl up in his embrace, to lose myself in his scent and surrender to his lips again; however, my own thoughts begged me to turn away. I didn__ know what to do. I couldn__ deny there was something between Ryan and me, but what? It was the curse!It had always been the curse_

My jaw went slack. Private rooms? Great, the button thing had been a step too far. Either he was totally getting the wrong impression__t least, not the impression I wanted to give__r_no. I didn__ want to consider the possibility he might know. People didn__ hide in forests in the middle of the night to protect themselves from a Binding. I was just weird like that. Rather, I had no choice, but_argh, what was I going to do now?!