Not,can I court your sister?Not,I would like your permission to court your sister.My chest fell heavily as I let out a breath.
“No.” Aureus’s lips were a thin line.
The prick.
“No?” I released my grip on Neirin’s cloak and stepped to the counter, coming face-to-face with my brother. “What happened to’I want you to be happy’?What happened to’Is there someone you would rather have?’”
“I make you happy?” Amusement laced Neirin’s casual intrusion.
“No,” I snapped back to him, hitting the countertop with a flat palm. The action was childish and caused little prickles of pain.
“Are you hurt?” Neirin reached for my hand, any trace of amusement gone from his tone.
With calculated coldness, I raised my gaze to him, and he sucked his lips in, retreating half a step.
In the way of men, Aureus turned his attention to the other man in the room. To talk about me. In front of me. “You cannot court her without permission.”
Though Neirin stood straight,his composure was casual. “I have permission.” He dipped his gaze to me and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Looking closer, I noted a tenseness I hadn’t seen before.
“This isn’t her decision.” Aureus’s words came on a snarl.
“Isn’t my—” The words turned into a growl as hot fury rushed through my veins.
The back of Neirin’s hand brushed against mine. Subtle, but enough to draw my attention and interrupt my trail of what would have inevitably been hurtful words. Had he put an arm around my waist, I’d have kneed him in the balls.
“This is her decision.” Neirin’s words were calm but assertive. “Do you have everything you need?”
It took me a moment to realize Neirin’s question was directed at me. “Oh, yes.” I swung the satchel over one shoulder. The book of lore made it heavy.
Though my brother stood at his full height and held Neirin’s gaze, he made no further challenge. Something about that unsettled me. This was what I had wanted, wasn’t it? Unease flittered in my chest like the ghost of a dream.
“Let’s go,” I said, and Neirin’s eyes fell on me in an instant as if he could pick up the distress I veiled with my sharp tone. The back of his hand was a reassuring presence against mine, and acting on a need for stability that disarmed me, I intertwined my fingers with his. Neirin drew his brows inward, but he nodded, and together we walked to the door.
The bell rang as he pushed it open, and we stepped out hand in hand.
At the bottom of the steps, he turned to me, voice somber and thick with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“You shouldn’t have been so blunt,” I said, a sharpness still in my tone. Gritting my teeth, I cast my eyes down.
Neirin dropped my hand. “Should I not have defended you?”
“No, I—” I sighed and looked up at his silver eyes set beneath brows drawn in an expression of concern. “Thank you for defending me.”
He smiled faintly, but the gentle worrying in his eyes remained the same. A quiet lay between us for a moment, and I retook his hand—an offering, an apology. The creases in his forehead softened, although they did not entirely smooth out. He ran his thumb over the back of my hand. “I will always defend you.”
24
NEIRIN
I kept pace with Evera,though she walked with a stiff, vigorous step. Lowering my eyes to her, I pondered her shift in mood as we cleared the busy hum of the market and stopped before the cobbled road. A wagon passed by, but there was nothing remarkable about it that gave cause for concern.
As the huntsman had predicted, word of the King’s death had reached Elrune, and with that knowledge, I found myself more on edge. The first rumors I had detected from a group of travelers dining at the inn just before leaving to meet with Evera. A second telling I overheard along my way. It was then that I instructed Calix to spend the day observing, listening. It was my hope, however, that he would stay out of trouble beyond that. I did not trust the sleight of his hand.
When the wagon cleared, Evera set forward again, and I fell in step beside her. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bothering her beyond her brother’s disapproval. When we were in the shop and she reached for my hand, I sensed her distress through the bond. The concept of detecting someone else’s emotions was new and strange. But nothing about magic was logical, so I didn’t waste time worrying over it.
I longed to voice her name, but I held it back and instead stilled my steps when we neared the fence line branching out from the stables, keeping gentle hold of her hand so that she stopped and looked back at me.
“Will you tell me what made you fearful back in your shop?”I asked.
