Little idiot. She’s going to get herself killed.
Kit takes off, and I follow him to the foot of the tree. Anastasia is oblivious to our presence as she settles back against the tree, perched on a brand with an apple in her hand.
A curl of interest appears in my stomach as I watch her. She’s kept to herself in the week or so since they arrived. Hiding in her room, silent at meals despite my father’s attempts to draw her out. Awkward and out of place.
But here, she looks… free. Eyes closed, she takes a bite of her apple. Her hair dances around her face in the breeze.
“What are you doing?” Kit hisses, as I put my foot on the first branch. I glance over to him.
“Getting to know our newsister.”
Wiggling my eyebrows, I ignore his frustrated mutters as I climb. I glance up to where a clueless Anastasia is still sitting, one leg dangling from the branch. She looks completely at ease, lips humming tunelessly.
When I get close enough, I call out. “Morning.”
The response is gratifying. Her eyes fly open and she jerks upright. The branch sways beneath her, and I hold out a hand, suddenly debating the wisdom of startling her this high up. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She eyes me, skepticism on her face. “Sure you didn’t.”
Then she closes her eyes again, effectively dismissing me. My eyebrows draw together as I glance down to my brother. Kit stares up at us, and he shrugs, motioning me down.
Instead, I climb up further. Anastasia’s eyes fly open as I settle next to her on the branch. “What are youdoing?”
Thise close, I can see the freckles dotting her skin. Deep brown eyes flecked with amber glare at me as I reach out and tug her hair, scraped back into a braid that lies over her shoulder. “I thought we could get to know each other a bit better.”
She blinks. “We could do that on the ground.”
Crossing my arms, I shake my head. “I’d say yes, but you seem to disappear every time we try. A little curious, I must admit.”
I smile as the flush spreads across her cheeks and down to her collarbone. “I’m not avoiding you.”
I lean in, my whisper loud. “Liar.”
She purses her lips, glancing away. “I should get inside. My mother will be looking for me.”
“Will she?” I shoot back. “Because she doesn’t seem to look for you much at all.”
I only meant that Angelica seems to be pretty self-serving. If it’s not about her, then she’s not interested. But Anastasia flinches, and I immediately feel like an asshole. “I didn’t mean—,”
“Forget it,” she mutters. She tries to shift on the branch, and it creaks. “This isn’t big enough for both of us.”
Her voice is flat now, and I study her more closely. “Hey,” I say softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
She sniffs. “You didn’t.”
She doesn’t look at me, and I… I don’t like it.
So I reach out, tipping her chin up to see her face.
“Have you heard of personal space?” she snaps. Her fingers slap at mine.
I grin at her. “Is that what that’s called?”
She huffs. “I’m getting down now, Rafael.”
“Rafe,” I say immediately. “Call me Rafe.”
She squints at me. “Okay… Rafe. Getting down now.”
