On the other side of the fence, Renna leaned in toward her sister, peering around Neirin at me. The two beamed, giddy as children, no doubt waiting for me to take the hand of thehandsome stranger and allow him to chaperone me out of the garden and to the front of my family’s shop.
Huffing my irritation, I brushed past Neirin with pointed intention and hitched my skirts above my ankles.
I can climb a damned fence.
There was a perfectly good gate just some distance down, but this was a matter of proving a point.
Neirin followed alongside me the few short strides back to my friends, his arm brushing mine as we walked. On it, the mark of our bond stood out in contrast to his fair complexion. Not hidden like mine was.
His hand came to my waist unexpectedly, and I turned to him, readying a few choice curses. But my words were stolen from me on a rather undignified squeal. Effortlessly, Neirin lifted me, and the back of the railing hit my thighs. He sat me down atop the fence, and I wobbled. Trying to steady myself, I clutched his cloak, and he grinned, triumph glinting in his eyes.
Last night, he’d been vulnerable, so I’d chosen to give him a chance. Today, he was being a cocky prick.
“Do you mind?”I demanded.
“Not at all.”
Renna and Farren suppressed their amusement. Scoffing, I lowered my hands from his chest, steadying myself atop the fence instead. I swung my legs over and dropped rather unceremoniously to the other side. In an annoyingly graceful movement, Neirin joined me.
“I like him,” Renna said under her breath, leaning toward me.
Ignoring her remark, I asked her when I could come by to help her with her son’s latch. After a few brief exchanges, she and Farren walked back through the market.
“What’s gotten into you?”I hissed, turning my eyes back to the smirking guard beside me. And damn him, his dimple made my stomach flip.
Neirin brushed his shoulder against mine. “Have I upset you?” Faint amusement undermined his feigned innocence.
“Yes,” I retorted, trying to push down the unexpected rush of desire that clutched me. His skin was almost golden in the yellow light of the sun.
Gods, he has perfect cheekbones.
Neirin drew in his lips, trying and failing to suppress a knowing grin. My cheeks heated, but I brushed the embarrassment aside. It wasn’t like he knew what I was thinking.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention,” he said.
“You were listening to us.”
“I was.”His eyes danced.
Scoffing, I paced to the shop’s front door and opened it. The bell dinged. Neirin’s hand braced higher up, holding the wooden door open, and I walked in.
Aureus straightened, his gaze rising, eyes narrowing and sharpening as he turned his attention from the work that occupied him at the back of the shop. “Evera.”
“Where are today’s deliveries?” I asked, my tone short. They would be behind the counter, just as they always were.
Aureus rose a brow, surely catching my mood but choosing not to bring attention to it. He gathered the day’s orders and an oversized satchel. Taking the goods from him somewhat gruffly, I stuffed them in the sack.
“Is Ruairc going with you?” my brother asked.
“No,” I retorted and left the men in order to gather the book of lore from the study table in the back room. Adding it to my bag and taking a breath to temper the mood the guard had putme in, I returned to the front of the shop to find the two men scaling each other up in a bluntly male way. I rolled my eyes.
“We spoke about this, Evera.” Aureus lowered his voice as he turned his gaze back to me. “You know the rule—”
“Yes,” I snapped. “It must be a man who hands the orders over. That’s what Lark is for.” I grabbed him by the cloak and pulled. At first, my tug did nothing, but he stepped forward when he recognized my intentions.
Raising his chin, my brother narrowed his eyes.
Neirin offered his hand and held it for a moment, but when it was apparent that Aureus had no intention of shaking it, he lowered it. “I aim to court your sister.”
