She didn’t even bother to touch the fact that she had felt the cold edge of paralyzing fear when she realized that Pixie’s knife was capable of doing permanent damage.
No feelings. No. Feelings.
When she didn’t answer, Kai turned his attention back to Pixie. “She hasn’t asked me to.”
“That’s all? You know she probably won’t, what with the beard and all. Though I do think it was nice of you to go all the way to Norditch to get her, even though you didn’t let her see a reindeer. She’s seen one now, so you’re off the hook for that, by the way. But even though she’s an un-princess, you stillshould probably kiss her at least once, since she’s your wife, and you should probably do it soon because Ma is holding her for ransom.”
Kai grinned down at the little robber girl; she could see the crinkle in the corner of his eyes in the moonlight. “Oh, I’ll kiss her.” He winked at her, and Lizzie had to focus on keeping all of her emotions shoved tightly down.
This isn’t working right anymore.
“But I’ll wait until Eliza is ready to kiss me.”
Pixie crossed her arms and looked at him seriously. “You might not get a chance. Ma is holding her for ransom, and she won’t like that you’re here.”
Kai mirrored her stance and expression. “Well, here’s the thing. You kidnapped my wife, and I came here to kidnap her back.”
“Ma won’t let you.”
“But would you?”
Pixie’s eyes grew wide, and for the first time since Lizzie had met her that afternoon, she looked uncertain. Her head bounced back and forth between the two of them. “Let you kidnap her? But what about the ransom?”
Kai shrugged. “As her husband, I would be the one paying the ransom, and I can’t do that until I get paid, and I can’t get paid because you took Peters’ till. So really, if you think about it, I already paid the ransom, and you’ve had it all along.”
His logic was a stretch, but it seemed it was just convoluted enough for Pixie to latch on. She nodded slowly. “You’re right. And if we already have the ransom, we can’t get another one.”
“Exactly. You might as well let me take her.”
“Alright, then.” Once her mind was made up, Pixie moved quickly, using her knife to slice through the ropes at Lizzie’s hands and feet. She gestured to the door. “You’ll probably want to run for a while. Ma might get upset at first and send someoneafter you, but after I explain to her about the ransom, she’ll let you go.”
Kai smiled and held out his hand for her to shake. “You’ve been a tremendous help. It’s been a pleasure doing ransom business with you.”
Pixie beamed at his words. She turned and suddenly threw her arms around Lizzie’s middle. “You were the very best un-princess I’ve ever met. I hope you let him kiss you.” She paused for a moment and stepped back before adding, “Though you better wait until after the beard is gone.”
Kai grabbed her hand, and with a final wave over his shoulder, he pulled her into the night. They didn’t speak at first, following Pixie’s advice to run. When a few miles separated them from Thera and her crew, Kai finally pulled them both to a stop. The next thing Lizzie knew, she was being crushed to his chest, which was still heaving with exertion from their run, and his arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Eliza.” He exhaled heavily, as if releasing a whole host of emotions with just the sound of her name.
She was stiff at first, unused to being touched, but when he seemed to notice and began to pull back, Lizzie realized just how much she wanted the connection. She grabbed his coat and tugged him closer, burying her face in his shoulder. His scratchy beard tickled the side of her head and neck, but she didn’t care. All that mattered in that moment was that his arms were around her.
He was there.
He had come for her.
She was safe.
She trusted him.
It was that foreign thought that caused her heart to jump to her throat in panic, and she pushed him away as her thoughts swirled around in a mad frenzy.
I’m not supposed to trust him. I’m not supposed to care. No feelings, no pain. Why isn’t it working? Belinda said the curse couldn’t be broken!
“Eliza?” Kai’s voice was quiet and gentle, a direct contrast to the turmoil that he had set loose in the pit of her stomach. “Can you go a little further tonight? I believe there’s a town a few miles further.”
She nodded, and they started walking again. She was thankful for the movement and the silence, as it gave her a chance to sort through things as the adrenaline of the moment died down.
The curse was still in place. She could still feel the icy barrier around her heart, though it had become cracked and thin in some places. After so long of experiencing little to no emotion at all, even the smallest amounts that were breaking through felt overwhelming.
