Savine and Avery walked back to their tent. Savine was a few steps ahead of Avery, and she didn’t bother trying to keep up.
Once they were in the tent, Savine turned to the bottle of wine on his table. The wine he poured into two small cups was strangely green. Bright green. He handed her the cup without speaking.
Avery shook her head and turned toward the bedroom. She was not about to take another glass of wine from him.
“Little flower, take it. What I did last time when I offered you wine was a nasty trick. I shouldn’t have done that to you,” Savine said, holding out the glass.
Avery shook her head. “Stop calling me that. I don’t trust you.”
Savine looked at her like she had every right to feel that way. “Okay. Look, you are working for me. I want us to be… friendly. Friends, even. How about this? You ask me a question, and I will give you a truth.”
“Fine. But I’m still not interested in your wine.” Avery thought about what she wanted to know from him. “Do you hate humans? Is that why you avoid touching me?” Avery asked.
Savine tensed and drew back from her. “No. I don’t hate humans. I have no reason to hate you, little flower. Humans were a witch tale or a whisper before I found you,” Savine answered as he took a long drink of his wine.
“Then why do you flinch when we touch?” Avery asked, honestly puzzled now.
Savine scowled. “For the same reasons you want to be left alone. Sometimes we learn to live with our demons for so long that they bring us comfort.”
Damn. She wondered what had happened to make him so harsh. She reached for the cup on the table and took a hesitant sip. The wine burst with flavors of sour apple, basil, and a hint of honey on her tongue. The aftertaste made her want more, and she took a longer drink.
“Good, isn’t it? It’s cider from a rare apple grown in Bayberry,” Savine said as he took another drink.
“It is good. The color is so bright it looks dyed,” Avery said, relaxing a little. She took another tentative sip.
“I’ll keep my word and not force truths from you. But can we still have a conversation?”
Avery gave a tiny nod and sat down near Savine.
“I know you didn’t choose to be here, but we have to think long-term. I want you training each day. Go on your own. Whoever is guarding the tent will escort you.”
Avery shook her head and took another drink of the cider. “Can I wait? I just… I want to be left alone until we need to leave.”
Savine’s voice was softer than she expected, but his words still stung. “You have to train. Part of our oath was for you to serve the rebellion.”
Avery gave a minuscule nod.
“By the way, what is your favorite food?” Savine said with a half smile.
Avery instantly felt the tug of the question demanding her honest response. Even though the question was innocent enough, the tug of the wine demanding an answer made her panic.
“What?! My favorite food?” Avery’s heart raced as the need to answer Savine’s question was forced on her. “Oh, um. Cheeseburgers? I guess I’m a basic bitch.” The grip of the wine on her throat eased. She took a deep breath and noticed how close Savine was to her. Did he scoot his chair closer?
“I’m not familiar with cheeseburgers. What’s in this dish?” Savine asked as he leaned in, his knees nearly touching hers.
Was this his attempt at being friendly? Asking her questions about food?
“Cheeseburgers are made of ground beef. Beef is the meat from a cow. Do you have cows here? I’m still a bit confused about whether you have animals in Aeritis that aren’t native to North America. Since you have some of the same native animals and plants as us. And with Quartz Mountain being on both sides of the realm, maybe this is some sort of twin realm?”
She was vomiting words about cheeseburgers. Why was she continuing on like this? At least thinking about the intricacies of burgers distracted her from thinking too deeply about how very blue his eyes were. Or how his eyes popped under such dark hair.
“Perhaps. That would make sense why you could cross the portals. What is a cow?” Savine asked as he leaned in closer. That familiar scent of rain-drenched forest hit Avery. His eyes brightened with interest.
Avery had a hard time concentrating on her words. “Well, they’re large animals. Sort of like a domesticated bison. They eat grass and hay and can be milked.”
“We have herds of bison that are kept by the Latians. They have also been domesticated and are milked. Perhaps they are the same thing, just diverged from the split in our worlds?”
Savine looked at her like she was the most interesting person in the whole world. Likecowswere the most interesting topic in the world.
