We both knew that wasn’t true. But maybe we could pretend it was.
I pulled back. “Did you even pack a razor?”
“Yes. But I can’t vouch for its sharpness.”
“I’ll take what I can get.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me, beneath the garlands of budding trees. “It’s either a dull razor or a pair of rusty gardening shears.”
“Either way,” he laughed, “I’m in need of pruning.”
The great hall was sullen after the roaring brightness of the day. I trailed Rogan as he made for the stairs.
“You go ahead,” I told him. “I’ll be right up.”
I waited until he’d disappeared up the stairs before scanning the shadowed ceiling.
“Corra?” I called. “Are you there?”
None of the carvings moved, but I was growing accustomed to the faintly perturbed weight of Corra’s attention.
“Fetch supplies to Rogan’s tower for me, won’t you?” I toldthem. “Hot water. Towels. A whetstone or leather too, if you please.”
For a long moment, the only answer was silence. I crossed my arms and frowned. Finally, a snub-nosed fish swished to life on the wall, blowing irritated bubbles.
“For the cream-faced, puke-livered knave?”
“Do you mean the strong, handsome prince?” I smiled sweetly. “Who does, in fact, have a name?”
Corra slapped their tail in warning. “He’ll leave.”
I rolled my eyes. “In half a year, beastie, we’ll both be leaving. And it’s entirely up to you whether we miss you when we go.”
It wasn’t my best manipulation. But it must have been enough. When I crested the coiling stairway to Rogan’s tower room, I found a ewer of steaming water, a pile of fluffy towels, a strip of raw leather, and a bar of sweet-smelling soap. I grinned, then frowned.
If Corra had harvested my freshly grown lemon balm without asking, there’d be hell to pay.
I carried the supplies into Rogan’s tower room. His chambers were almost as dark as the first time I’d been up here, that gray day months ago. Afternoon sunshine poked feeble hands through a single window, sending only the weakest of shadows scuttling to the corners. I wrinkled my nose at the faint odor of soured wine and unwashed man clothes. Dirty glasses lined the windowsills, and the covers on the bed were hopelessly rumpled.
I lifted an incredulous eyebrow. “I see the chambermaids have been shirking their duties.”
Rogan looked down, red coloring his neck. “I suppose so.”
“Hmm.” I set down Corra’s supplies on the table and marched toward the window. I examined a dirty tumbler. Dried wine clung to the chipped rim. I stared at it a moment longer, then tossed it out of the opening. Far below, glass shattered on stone.
“What—” Shock loosened Rogan’s expression. “I was using that!”
I laughed and pushed the rest of the glasses out the window. Ispun, staring around the gloomy tower room. Lines of light prickled at intervals along the walls—more windows. I strode to the nearest one, found the edge of the drape, and yanked. Yellow light spilled in, through glass smeared with grime and time. I reached for another, but large, unyielding arms caught me around the waist and pulled me against a hard torso.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Rogan growled into my ear.
There was an edge to his playful words. My awareness sharpened toward our bodies molded together—my rear flush against his hips, my shoulder blades conforming to his muscular chest. His hands shifted minutely across my front, one palm splaying warm over my navel.
Warm, not scorching.
I inhaled at the thought of Irian, sudden and intrusive in this very human space. With my next breath, I pushed the thought away, twisting in Rogan’s arms to face him. Only now, I was pressed painfully—deliciously—against his chest. His rough hands slid against my neck, making me look up at him.
“Haven’t you ever heard of spring cleaning?” I grinned, trying to break the tension rising between us.
Rogan didn’t smile. His river-stone gaze collided with mine. His hand tightened against my back, his fingers crushing the fabric of my kirtle. Sudden warmth burned through my veins and pooled in my belly. Rogan shifted his hips against me, the beginnings of his arousal pushing through our clothes.
