She cleared her throat. “Was that your bedchamber Mansourah took?”
He looked at her then, then shook his head. “I slept in here in front of the fire, actually.”
“To keep warm?”
“To keep a fire iron always hot and at the ready for the regular occurrence of one of my siblings attempting to do me in during the middle of the night.”
She leaned up on her elbow and looked at him in surprise. “You can’t be serious.”
He smiled faintly. “Is it any wonder I turned out so well?”
“It is a miracle,” she said honestly. “How many brothers did you say you have?”
“Six that belong to my mother. An indeterminate number who don’t, plus those impossible elven troublemakers Sarait of Tòrr Dòrainn foisted off onto the world. My brothers didn’t live here for very long, thankfully. Once they were old enough to toddle on off to the keep up the way, they did. I alone remained until I left to make my way in the world. I was, and likely still am, my mother’s last, best hope for someone truly vile.”
She smiled. “You must be such a disappointment to her then.”
He looked at her seriously. “I believe I am.”
She felt her smile fade. “Do you think so?”
“Tonight, I have no idea.” He sighed deeply. “Her spells didn’t slay me at the front door, which is unusual, but that may have been because she didn’t want to frighten either you or that finicky prince of Neroche by having you see the mess.”
“Do you never come visit her?”
“More often than the rest of the rabble,” he said with a shrug, “but not as much as I likely should. So much mischief to make in the world, you know, and so little time. I have a very full calendar.”
“I imagine you do,” she said. She watched the fire for a bit longer, then found even that was too much trouble. “I should have tended your horse—”
“He’s off hunting,” Acair said with a yawn. “I’ve no doubt he’llfind somewhere warm to curl up after he’s filled his belly. He’ll regale you with all his adventures in the morning, I’m sure.”
She didn’t doubt it. She rested her chin on her hands, then realized she looked as foolish as any young girl gaping at her first sight of a handsome nobleman.
“You’ll have to sleep eventually,” Acair said, opening his eyes and looking at her. “Difficult when you have me to look at, I know, but perhaps possible with enough effort.”
“How is it possible you can look so tired but still be able to talk so much?”
He smiled. She closed her eyes in a last-ditch effort to save herself, but perhaps it was too late. She opened her eyes in surprise as she felt him take her hand and pull it toward him.
He kissed her palm, then put her hand on his chest and covered it with both his own.
“You were worried,” he murmured.
“I wasn’t,” she countered. “Not for a moment.”
“You’re a terribly bad liar,” he said, looking at her. He smiled wearily. “Do you truly think I would abandon you to the clutches of that prissy archer from Neroche?”
“I thought someone might catch you and kill you, rather,” she said frankly.
“Me?” he scoffed. “Never. I always emerge alive and unscathed.” He paused. “Relatively unscathed, if I’m to be entirely honest. But always alive.” He reached up and brushed her hair back from her face. “Always.”
She wasn’t sure how he could possibly guarantee that when he had nothing but a quick smile and an impressive collection of curses to hand.
She was beginning to agree with his mother that magic was a very useful thing to have.
She would have asked Acair for his opinion on the matter, but he was asleep. She knew she would wake with her hand numb and her arm likely feeling as if it had been pulled from its socket, but she wasn’t about to take her hand away.
She was tired, that was all. She was tired, she thought the fire might keep her awake all night with its song, and she wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t dreaming the whole of her life. If she weren’t dreaming, she wasn’t sure she wanted to think about what her life looked like when she was awake—
