I’ll give myself the night off and pick back up tomorrow, when it doesn’t feel like the commander’s spikes are stabbing through my head.
Speak of the devil...
The carriage door opens, and I squint over at Rip, his silhouette dusted with the light of dusk.
No armor today, leather coat frosted at the edges, his black hair windswept and his spikes nowhere to be seen.
“Does it hurt when you keep those in?” I blurt.
Rip glances down at the arm I’m looking at, like he’s surprised his spikes aren’t out—or maybe that I asked about them. “No.”
“Hmm.” I lick my dry lips and swallow with a twinge of pain but then remember what I really wanted to talk to him about. I pick my head up straighter when I realize I’ve slumped a bit. “I want to know where Midas’s guards are.”
“Do you?” he asks in a gravelly voice, shoulder leaning against the doorframe. “Well, I’d like to know who your closest friends were in Sixth Kingdom.”
I blink at him through stinging eyes, my mind a little slower than normal at processing his words. Even when I do, I’m still confused. “Why do you always ask the strangest questions about me? Why do you want to know that?” My tone is both bewildered and defensive.
“Is it the saddles you’ve been visiting?”
So he knows I’ve visited them. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at that, though I am that he’s allowed it to go on.
A chuff escapes me as I tilt my head down, fingers coming up to rub my burning eyes. “Oh, yeah. Theyadoreme. We braid each other’s hair while trading stories about Midas in bed.”
Great Divine, did I just say that?I must be sicker than I thought.
I hear a rasp of a chuckle. “Interesting.”
My hand drops away, the scraping talons against my skull making my eyes sensitive even in the dim light. “What’s interesting?”
“Interesting that you should attempt to visit them every night when you wouldn’t consider them your friends. Makes one wonder why.”
I bristle, suddenly wishing that we could’ve made it to day four without interacting. I’m just not that lucky, I guess.
“Are you going to block me in this carriage all night, or can I get out? I’m tired.”
Rip’s head tilts to the side, the short spikes along his brow line more pronounced. “Tired? You’re usually chomping at the bit to go eat and visit the saddles.”
“Yeah, well, as you pointed out, they’re not my friends, so I’ll just save myself the trip,” I snap.
This male makes my headache so much worse.
Black eyes narrow as he studies me closely, gaze smoothing over my body from head to toe. “Are you ill?”
“I’m fine. Now, if you don’t mind...” I look pointedly where he’s still blocking the doorway.
I’m surprised when he actually steps aside to let me out. Dusk is still the victor against night, the last of the graying light quickly fading. I take in a deep breath, the fresh air making me feel so much better after being stuck in the stagnant carriage all day.
My teeth begin to chatter, and I band my arms around myself like a shield, trying to hold in a shiver, trying to create a layer of armor against this male. He has a way of making me feel like he’s peeling away my layers, seeing what I want to hide. And right now, I don’t feel well enough to fend him off, to keep up with his battle-minded tactics.
Thankfully, the tent is already set up, erected right beside the carriage. I want to collapse on the pallet under a pile of furs and not come out until my head stops pounding.
I take one step toward it, but my vision suddenly swims, pain lancing through my forehead. I squeeze my eyes shut and stumble, my legs like jelly.
Rip’s hand lashes out lightning-quick, fingers curling around my arm. His catch steadies me, freezes me in place. The disorienting feeling is swept away from my head, like his touch is a chain to an anchor I thought had broken away. I teeter, a boat in the water, reeling as that anchoring grip holds steady, keeping me upright.
A split second later, I realize my mistake—dependent on his hold as I am. Eyes springing open, I whirl, yanking my arm from his grasp.
“Don’t touch me!” I hiss, looking around wildly, my heart nearly beating right out of my chest as I glance at the sky.
