“Why?”She just wouldn’t give up.“Jasmine here gets my jokes.You, on the other hand, are no fun today at all.You wake up with an arrow up your butt or what?”
He sighed.“She stays between us at all times to be safe.Her gardening skills are the best I’ve seen from a human.Better than some of our gardeners’.”
O-kay… That was a huge compliment coming from an elf, but what impressed me more was the idea of me being kept safe.Did he mean that literally, as in protect me from the dangers on the surface, or was he implying I had to be kept from escaping?
Since I’d learned we were going outside, all I could think about was the sun and the sky and the fresh air.The caves were well ventilated and kept warm through a system I wasn’t able to comprehend, but I needed the real thing.I also felt trapped within the walls of this underground world that I hadn’t left for weeks now.The need to be outdoors had become even sharper when I’d learned I would be going to the surface.
So the idea of attempting an escape?It hadn’t occurred to me at all.Was an escape actually achievable, given my hosts’ speed and strength?Even if I could outrun them somehow, there were so many monsters out there.I probably wouldn’t last a day on my own.
“Why have you left Jasmine in this indoor dress, then?”Deidre asked at that moment, bringing my attention back to the present.“The restricted freedom of movement could get her killed on the surface, just so you know.”
Oh gosh.
“Wewillprotect her, Deidre.She stays between us atalltimes.”
“Fine, fine.”She huffed.“Why not make things even more difficult for me, right?”
“Do you understand, human?”he asked me, ignoring Deidre’ssarcasm.
“I’ll stay between you at all times.”I could have answered with a simple yes, but I wanted to assure him I was going to do exactly what he expected of me.
That way, if out there I saw an opportunity to escape and decided to take it, he might not anticipate my move.
“See?Jasmine is both fun and smart,” Deidre declared.Then she appeared on my right side, a smirk on her face.“You’re also gifted with good taste.”
“Hm?”What?
“By walking behind him,” she explained, “you get the best view in the Kingdom.”She nodded toward Karim’s bare calves and winked at me.
Heat rose to my cheeks and ears.Had I been ogling those toned legs that much for Deidre to have noticed?
Karim eventually stopped in front of a door and pulled the single vine to the left of the greenery.
I stayed back to give him space, while Deidre leaned on the wall by the door and crossed her arms over her chest, throwing a smile my way.
“Don’t get attached, Deidre,” Karim told her, a warning in his black eyes.“Once our task is completed, the human must resume assisting our gardeners.”
“Is that why you keep calling herhumaninstead of by her actual name?”Deidre arched a brow.“Afraid of getting attached?”
His look hardened.
She kept going, regardless.“I have nothing to worry about, since I’m into males.You, however… It would be easy to succumb tothe curse of your father’s blood and–”
He moved so fast, I jumped back only out of instinct; my mind was too slow to register his motion.One second he was steps away from me to my left and the next, he was to my right, backing Deidre further into the wall without laying a finger on her.
His large body completely took over her personal space.Being half a head taller than her, he was looking down at Deidre, his face a breath away from hers.His arms were hanging loose at his sides, but his gaze and posture were enough to pin her in place.
After all the playful banter, this was a sharp reminder of elves’ predatory nature.Dominance displays were how elves solved their arguments in the gardens as well, regardless of gender.If one side didn’t back down, honest fights ensued, albeit with the precision and controlled moves of a hand-to-hand duel.
Deidre lowered her gaze, admitting defeat.And yet, she dared a small smile, as though the palpable tension in the air was rather amusing to her.
He told her something in Elvish, which sounded melodic despite being pronounced in a reprimanding tone.
“Ain’t that why you love me, Karim?”she replied, still smiling.“Like a sister, unfortunately?”
He sighed and pulled back just a fraction.Then his hand shot up and tugged Deidre’s braid.
I released the breath I had been holding.With his body as tense as a wound-up spring, I hadn’t expected something as innocent as a hair tug.
