Shadow and Bone

warm in the winter?”
His mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Midnight picnics?”
I couldn’t smile back. “Botkin told me that Grisha steel is
earned. It’s not that I’m not grateful for all of this. I am, truly.
But I don’t feel like I’ve earned any of it.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, Alina. I asked you to trust me and I
haven’t delivered.”
He looked so weary that I felt instantly contrite. “It’s not
that—”
“It’s true.” He took another deep breath and ran a hand over
his neck. “Maybe Baghra’s right, as much as I hate to admit
it.”
I cocked my head to one side. “You never seem fazed by
anything. Why do you let her bother you so much?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I think she’s good for you.”
He started in surprise. “Why?”
“Because she’s the only one around here who isn’t scared of
you or constantly trying to impress you.”
“Are you trying to impress me?”
“Of course,” I laughed.
“Do you always say exactly what you’re thinking?”
“Not even half the time.”
Then he laughed too, and I remembered how much I liked
the sound. “Then I guess I should count myself lucky,” he
said.
“What’s Baghra’s power, anyway?” I asked, the thought
occurring to me for the first time. She was an amplifier like the
Darkling, but he had his own power, too.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I think she was a Tidemaker. No
one around here is old enough to remember.” He looked down
at me. The cold air had put a flush in his cheeks, and the