“That a fact?” Niklaus smirks but keeps his eyes closed.
“Yes, it is.”
“I didn’t want you to have to bear being married to me another moment after the situation called for that titlehere…the way it did in the last predicament we were in,” he explains.
I shake my head and look down. “It isn’t the worst thing.”
Although, it sort of is. I can’t stand the way my lungs are zapped with excitement when he calls me his wife. If only he knew my body reacts this aggressively. There would never be a day I’d live it down.
“I bet your future wife will hate me for our illegitimate marriage once we make it home.” I lean against the bars we share between our cages.
“And is there a man back at home you’ll hope to tie the knot with?” he asks, though the boredom layering his tone is heavy today.
“Your best friend, Stark.”
Niklaus’s eyes snap open. He grimaces at me from the corner of his eye.
I wink.
“He is no longer my best friend.”
“Oh, no?”
His angry blue eyes drop to my waist then find their way back to my face. “No.”
“Why not?” Am I bored? Do I still crave that vengeance I wanted before we started traveling through time? I don’t know. But this feels like a needed distraction.
“Are you still best friends with Mabel Rose?” The question swings into my gut with brutal force.
My molars grate against each other as I stare ahead. I shake my head.
The jokes have ended.
The humor at poking him to get a reaction has ceased to exist.
“Why did you do it?” I ask as I wind my arm around the bars. “Why did you have to fuck my best friend?”
His exasperated breathing becomes heavier. “Mabel Rose had it out for you, Spitfire. She spent many months making advances on me at the tavern while we were intoxicated. On a night she was drunk off her ass, she admitted that she was tired of living in your shadow.”
“What?”
“You really never noticed?”
My chest stings with a sudden epiphany.
“You and I had a nasty fight, and you got me suspended from sword training. That’s when I eventually gave in.”
“You got yourself suspended for being a piece of shit,” I retort.
Niklaus chuckles.
“That fucking killed me, Niklaus.” I stare at him until he meets my eyes. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. That sounds so dense and vapid after everything we’ve been through. But it’s true. You wanted to hurt me, and it worked. Mabel Rose was my best friend. Granted, her being a jealous bitch had nothing to do with you, but she still took you…and you rubbed it in my face towoundme.”
Niklaus sits up, opening his mouth to argue my point—but I stop him.
“I’m sorry. It’s ridiculous to even rehash this now. Jesus, look at me. I just met my dead grandparents in prison. And I’m over here talking about petty drama.”
Niklaus watches me closely. Several seconds go by. And I can’t tell if he’s frozen in his spot because he’s still hanging on to my last words about our previous discussion or if he’s just pissed at me for changing the subject.
