‘Very refreshing.’ The tops of her feet dragged along the sand like she was a rag doll.
‘You couldn’t just finish and get your arse out of the water, could you?’
It was a rhetorical question, so Eda did not bother responding.
Roul lowered her onto the sand, then sat next to her, removing his cloak and wrapping it around her. The warmth made Eda shudder.
‘You’re not doing Blackmane any favours long term,’ he said. ‘The resilience he builds during his training will see him through his entire career. Your interference only robs him of that.’
She closed her eyes and dropped her head to Roul’s arm. ‘Stop talking. Training’s over. I don’t have to listen to you anymore.’
He swore under his breath but wrapped an arm around her. ‘You’re infuriating.’ He reached for her trousers, draping them over her legs since she did not have the energy to dress.
‘And you’re mean.’
He laughed at that. ‘I should make you swim another lap.’
She tipped her face up to him, blinking. ‘Then you’d be forced to save me.’
He stared back at her, knowing she was right. ‘You weren’t supposed to last this long.’
‘I’m full of surprises.’ She settled her head in the nook of his shoulder and stared out at the water. ‘Tollere’s gone, isn’t he?’
‘Yes.’
She exhaled. ‘At least I wasn’t the first to be sent home. That’s something.’
‘It’s something.’ He was silent a moment. ‘You still have two more weeks to go. There’s every chance you’ll hate me by the end of it.’
‘How do you know I don’t hate you already?’ She looked up at him again so she could see his smile. And there it was.
‘Fairly certain you hated me on your first day, but you came back for more.’
‘Youwantedme to hate you that first day. When it didn’t happen at training, you resorted to trying to make me jealous at the tavern.’
His eyebrows came together. ‘I did no such thing. If you were jealous, that’s on you.’
They had never spoken about that day. Eda had pushed the memory, and all it conjured, from her mind in order to focus on her training. She did not have space for pointless feelings like jealousy—nor a justification for it. But since the topic had come up, there was a burning question on the tip of her tongue. ‘Can I ask you something?’
He released a breath. ‘I don’t know why you say that when you always ask the question regardless of my reply.’
‘Do you like her more than me?’
Roul shook his head. ‘You’d think I would’ve grown accustomed to the things that come out of your mouth by now, but you still manage to surprise me. Why would you ask such a thing?’
‘Because your taste in lovers is vastly different to your taste in friends. I suppose it threw me.’
He brushed a lock of dripping hair off her face. ‘You’re not so different.’
Eda’s eyebrows rose. ‘Is she good with weapons too?’
He bit back a smile. ‘No, but she’s smart and works hard like you.’
‘She’s also ridiculously beautiful.’
‘So are you.’
She tilted her head. ‘You think I’m beautiful? Or are you just saying that to hurry the conversation along?’
