Chapter 61: Call Me Ari
Alaric’s intense gaze lingered on Lara’s face, his dark eyes probing, searching.
Lara shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Had she blown her cover? The previous night, she had barely managed to reach him in time. There had been no moment to disguise herself, no time to shift her voice into the deeper, more commanding tone of Kane. But Alaric had been barely conscious, his body ravaged by injury, his mind teetering on the edge of oblivion. Surely, he hadn’t been lucid enough to notice?
This morning, however, she had been careful. Every gesture, every word had been measured, precise. And yet, there was something in his gaze now—a flicker of awareness—that sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine.
Why was Alaric looking at her that way?
"My companions," he began, his voice low but steady, "they must be looking for me. If they can find me, then I have a way to deliver the letter to General Odin."
Lara exhaled slowly. So that was it. His thoughts were on his duty, on his mission. Not on her. Not on whether she was who she claimed to be.
"I can look for them in a while," she offered, her voice controlled.
Alaric’s expression flickered—just for a moment, a glimpse of something akin to worry.
Was he concerned for Kane’s safety? The deep jungles of Ourea were unforgiving. Even he, with all his skill, had barely survived. The bandits, the wild creatures that roamed the dense forest, the treacherous terrain—it was no place for the unprepared.
Will ’he’ not be in danger?
And yet...