“No doubt it does.” Nalyx opened the door to his room and waved her inside. “I got us some dinner,” he said, indicating two plates of food set on the bedside table. “I figured we may as well eat before all the chaos hits.”
An unexpected warmth hit Gantalla right in the middle of her chest. “Thank you,” she said, feeling that the words were entirely inadequate. She let her eyes wander over his face, her heart aching as she realised how fond of him she’d become. “I’d never have been able to do this without you. I owe you so much…”
“There’ll be plenty of time for that later,” he said gruffly, seeming uncomfortable with her praise. “For now, let’s just make sure we know what we’re going to do.” They ate, the food tasting like ash in Gantalla’s mouth, though she kept forcing herself to chew and swallow, and as they did, they went over the plan. Sneak out to the square. Keep Alithmain calm while they freed her. Head down the road towards the edge of the city and find a quiet alley to regroup. They’d need to check Alithmain for injuries and get her to change her clothes, and Gantalla could give her something to eat. She’d likely be hungry and would need her strength to walk. Then they’d head out of town, keeping to the shadows and staying as quiet as possible, until they reached the crossroads. Then it was a clear road all the way to Red Hill. That was just a small hamlet, but it would be the first place they could stop and rest or buy some food. At a fast walk, Nalyx said they should reach it shortly after dawn.
Plans made and food finished, they lapsed into silence. For something to do, Gantalla cleared up the plates and forks and set them in a neat pile, then returned to her seat on the edge of the bed. She fiddled with the fabric of her trousers, picking at a loose thread.
“Did you mean what you said?” Nalyx asked suddenly. “That you’d rather marry me than Hallix?”
The first thought in Gantalla’s mind was the flippant reply that she’d rather marry almost anyone than Hallix. Then, feeling awkward at being put on the spot, she thought to make a joke of it, reminding Nalyx that he wasn’t looking for a wife. But in the dim light of the bedside lantern, his expression was unexpectedly serious.
“I would,” she said, her voice a mere whisper. “You’re everything the hadathmet believe a warrior should be. Brave. Kind. Respectful. You’ve always treated me like my opinion mattered.”
“It does matter,” Nalyx said. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“I think you’d make a good husband to someone one day. Any woman would be lucky to have you.” She meant the words from the bottom of her heart.
Nalyx looked down, his fingers knotting themselves together in his lap. Then he looked up at her again. “Can I kiss you?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The softly spoken request caught Gantalla off guard. She stared at Nalyx, unable to come up with a reply. And it seemed he took her silence as a refusal.
“Sorry, I… Sorry,” he said, looking away. “Now’s not really a good time, is it?”
It wasn’t. But oddly enough, it was also the perfect time. Her life was in his hands, and for him to display affection at such a time, rather than anger or gloating arrogance, meant the world to her.
But even so, it seemed like a monumental step. Though they’d been nearly naked together, had slept in the same bed, and Nalyx had even seen her in her native form, they’d never crossed that line before. Unbidden, Gantalla’s hand crept up, stroking the rough stubble on his chin – the tell tale sign of a growing beard, like the powerful salas warriors. She leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly over his.
She felt his intake of breath, felt his lips move against hers in the most tentative of motions. But he didn’t make any move to extend the kiss or to deepen it, and she pulled back, feeling a little bereft. Perhaps she’d misunderstood his request? But how did one misunderstand a request to kiss someone? Unless this was another one of those baffling human customs…
“Sorry,” he apologised, seeing her confusion. “I don’t mean to pressure you into anything.”
“When have I ever let you pressure me into anything?” she asked, feeling a sly trickle of humour. He looked so lost, a far cry from his usual cocky arrogance.
“Well… never. But I thought…”
“So why would I start now?”
“Nothing makes sense,” he said, a sideways way of answering the question. “Your sister’s trapped in a cage and I’m supposed to kill her in the morning.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that for another couple of hours,” she pointed out. And suddenly, everything slotted neatly into place. She could do nothing for her sister until later in the night. But right now, she could show her gratitude to this kind and compassionate warrior, who’d bent his entire world out of shape for her sake. “Kiss me,” she said, then leaned forward to do it herself. He responded more deeply this time, but still made no move to take it further.
“Do you remember that lace blouse I wore on my first night here?”
“Gods, yes,” he said, ending on a faint moan. “I’ve dreamed about that blouse so many times.”
A sly smile crept across her lips. “Then maybe it’s about time I let you see what was underneath it.”
His lips parted, longing written clearly all over his face. “Are you sure…?”
“This isn’t my first time with a man,” she told him. “Though I dare say I don’t have as much experience as most of the women around here.”
“I haven’t slept with another woman since I met you,” he blurted out, then, in the faint light, she saw his face redden. “Fuck… I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why haven’t you?” she asked. Surely a man as openly eager as Nalyx would have…
“None of them measured up to you. I guess I finally saw how useless and greedy they all are.”
