My chest warmed, and I reached for the book. By the time I found a page that held my interest, Evera was asleep, relaxed breaths escaping her parted lips. Contentedness held me, and for a moment, I just watched her while she rested. It would take time to earn her name, to earn her heart. Time, I knew with a great bitterness, that I may not have. When the huntsman returned with word from Harlan, I would have no choice but to leave Elrune. Leave Evera, should she not desire to come with me.
A curious thought then arose from my subconscious. For the first time since I joined the guard, I was considering my duties to protect the prince—the King—as something that stood in the way of … What? A desire? Something I wanted for myself. It was bittersweet, for I was deeply grateful for Everaand the unexpected gift of her presence, of our bond and its implications, the possibilities. But my duty still lay first to my brother. It must.
Sighing, I pushed thoughts of Harlan aside. Such things were concerns for another time. In this moment, in this breath, I could enjoy Evera’s presence, the scents of spring in the air, and the budding warmth within my chest. I could take simple pleasure in seeing her restfulness, her comfort, and in knowing that for all the hurt I’d caused in my life, that at least on this day I’d done something right in lightening her spirit and soothing her weariness.
26
NEIRIN
“She won’t move,”Evera hissed, kicking the mare’s sides.
With one delivery left and the calm of the afternoon settling over Elrune, I’d chosen to walk beside the mare and encouraged Evera to try handling her on her own. It was a skill she should know, should she ever need to ride alone. But despite her stubborn persistence and her eagerness to try, the signals she gave only confused the animal.
Calix, who to my surprise had thus far been more of a help than a nuisance, laughed under his breath, and Evera shot him a pointed look.
The boy shrugged and resumed his absent, dazed look. It was a hoax, of course, just a part of his training; no one suspected a dull-eyed child, so they spoke freely around them. Though disconcerting, it was a useful skill, one that had proven fruitful today; he’d found us some half hour ago and relayed what knowledge he’d gained.
Guards were coming from the castle, expected by sun fall, to speak with the local commander and lord. His pursuit of me within the capitals borders exhausted, the King turned to the outlying towns.
I suspected Harlan was not aware of Astraea’s involvement in sending out her messengers some few days prior. She would be losing her composure soon, though. Without my blood, her messengers would destroy each other. I chewed the inside of my cheek and glanced back at Calix, the weight of the impending events settling on my shoulders. But there was nothing I could do for his friends, not without enslaving myself to the Queen—more so than before—andabandoning my brother to the hands of the assassin that walked the castle.
Beside me, Evera huffed, and Sorrel stepped in place, ears pinned.
I moved to take the reins. “Stop,” I instructed Evera, resting my free hand on her calf.
Exasperation and stubborn indignation lined her face. “That’s how you make a horse move. You kick their sides.” The sharpness in her tone made my lips turn up. Looking at me through the corners of her eyes, she narrowed her brows. “What?”
“You amuse me,” I admitted, not withholding the warmth from my tone.
A curl fell in front of Evera’s eyes, and it caught in the yellow light of the afternoon sun. She blew at it and grunted when it tickled across her nose. With a faint laugh, I moved my hand from her calf and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. She turned into my touch, though her pout remained, and I stroked her cheek with my thumb.
“I’m trying,” she said, a quiet uncertainty to her voice.
“I know.” I offered an encouraging smile and handed the reins back. I trailed my touch to the small of her back and pushed slightly, encouraging her to straighten. “Leaning back will make her stop. Instead—”
“I wasn’t leaning back.”
“Yes,” I said, casually trailing my hand lower to still just above the curve of her bottom. “You were.”
She gave me a pointed look but argued no further, the press of her lips a clear sign she was attempting to restrain the sharpness of her tongue.
“Sit upright,” I instructed. “Back straight. Then squeeze a bit with your heels.”
Huffing, Evera set her eyes forward again and raised her chin. She wiggled and straightened her back more. The change in posture pushed her breasts out, and my eyes drew to the swell of them.
“Is this better?”Despite her apparent efforts, the touch of a sarcastic quip still laced her question.
I laughed. “Yes, now squeeze with your heels, just a bit, then let the pressure off. If you want her to stop, pull on the reins and lean back.”
Evera followed my instruction, and after a fair bit of frustration on her part, the mare finally began to walk forward at a steady pace.
“I’m doing it!” Her exultation came almost as a squeal. Gone was the reserve to her voice and the snark she shielded herself with. The words encompassed the innocence and joy of a perfect moment. When she looked back over her shoulder, waves of copper hair flowed about her face, and the warmth of her smile fell upon me. My heart ached with the strangest form of longing. Not lust, not desire, something different. Something that was entirely consuming.
“That you are.” The words came out softer than I intended, struck as I was by the moment.
“She is your mate, isn’t she?”
I lowered my gaze to Calix. He watched after Evera and spoke beneath his breath so she couldn’t overhear his question. The way his empty gaze followed her and the coolness to his questionset an unease in my belly. Although Calix was just a boy, he held incredible power and was not to be underestimated.
