I wake to someone shaking my shoulder, a hand clamped over my mouth. Instinctively, I jerk upright, magic surging to my fingertips, only to lock eyes with a familiar face.
Thalia.
Her finger presses against her lips, urging silence. I nod, and she releases her hand from my mouth, casting a wary glance toward Jay's sleeping form on the other side of our small resting area. (How has he not picked her scent?.)
"We need to talk," she whispers. "Alone."
I haven't seen Thalia since she disappeared after the ambush at the old library…an ambush that nearly got us killed. The ambush she might have helped set up. Trust isn't exactly flowing between us, but curiosity wins out.
"Fine." I grab my jacket and follow her away, careful not to wake Jay or Callista.
Once we're a safe distance away, I cross my arms. "You've got some explaining to do."
Thalia looks terrible; dark circles under her eyes, hair tangled, clothes rumpled. Whatever she's been through, it wasn't a spa weekend.
