“I could never…” Cedric started, then faltered, the words catching like thorns in his throat. Gods, why was this so difficult?
Finn’s grip was warm and entirely too distracting.
Cedric swallowed, exhaling sharply before gently pulling free. He masked the turmoil twisting in his mind with a carefully neutral expression, though he wasn’t entirely sure he pulled it off. “You’re welcome,” he finally managed.
Finn arched a brow. “That sounded painful.”
Cedric rolled his eyes. “I’m not used to thanking people for making my life more complicated.”
Finn smirked, utterly unfazed. “Oh, I can promise you—it’s only going to get worse.”
Cedric scoffed, stepping back before he did something stupid. “Wonderful. I can’t wait.”
And Finn—the infuriating man—actually winked.
Gods, I should have let Gwenna hit him twice. Cedric huffed out a breath and pivoted away.
As he reached the door, a sudden commotion from outside shattered the moment—bleating followed by a clatter of something heavy tipping over. Cedric pinched the bridge of his nose.
Finn tensed, still every inch the knight ready for battle. “What was that?”
Cedric didn’t even have to guess. “Clarence,” he groaned. “He’s probably broken out of his pen again. No doubt leading another goat uprising.”
Finn’s eyebrows rose un understanding. “I know that goat,” he said with a rueful note that bordered on humor.
Cedric let slip a small smile. If nothing else, we share a mutual nemesis in Clarence. “Yes, well…that’s my princely duty,” he joked, forcing lightness into his tone. “To quell goat rebellions.”
Finn actually smirked a little, eyes dancing with good humor. “Isn’t that what your knights are for?”
Cedric snorted softly, heat rising unbidden to his cheeks. Did I really just say princely duties? “Not my injured knights,” he parried, an odd warmth lighting his heart. He swallowed, pushing that feeling down. “You’re charged with staying here and healing,” he added, more seriously.
Amusement danced across Finn’s face, and Cedric’s heart gave a quick, treacherous flutter. He truly looks better when he’s not scowling at me.
Cedric tore his gaze away, fixing it on the door instead. “I’ll check on you again soon,” he promised, voice soft. Gods, why did it come out like that? Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and hurried out.
He shut the door quickly. Too quickly.
Cedric pressed his back against it, exhaling a slow, ragged breath.
The soft click of the latch was the only sound in the corridor, but his mind refused to quiet. The way Finn had looked at him, the way his fingers had curled around Cedric’s wrist. How had such a simple touch left him rattled?
He swallowed hard. It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter.
Pushing off from the door, he took the stairs two at a time. Focus on the goat. Focus on anything else. But even as he reached the ground floor, the cool night air rushing in through the open archway, his heart was still beating far too fast.
“Cedric!” Gwenna’s exasperated shout rang across the courtyard. “If you don’t get out here and deal with this blasted goat, I swear?—”
Clarence bleated in triumph.
Perfect. A disaster he could actually deal with. Anything to take his mind off the knight inside the tower.
Chapter Twelve
Finn crept down the narrow wooden stairs. He tensed, breath catching in his throat, as if expecting the entire tower to rouse at his intrusion. Just how lightly do they sleep here? he wondered, pausing a moment to strain his ears. But no voices or hurried footsteps answered. Only silence, broken by the distant chirp of morning birds outside.
Relieved, he continued downward, emerging in the tower’s main room. Dawn’s first light streamed through the windows, painting everything in gentle shades of gold and grey. On a small kitchen table sat a simple meal—bread, cheese, ripe fruit—and next to it, a folded note. Curiosity pricked at Finn as he opened it and read:
Finn,
