He’s standing there, his long hair whipping in the wind, his arms hanging at his sides. Cautiously I approach him. Most of the time he feels like an untamed animal that I might scare with a sudden noise. Scare into roaring and attacking me, most probably, but still.
Maybe‘startle’is a better word, I think, my mouth tugging into a smile. He certainly doesn’t seem like a man who’d be scared of anything, just like Ardruna had said.
A good choice for a guardian of this library of horrors.
“Why did you leave?” I ask softly. “Is it because I inadvertently asked about your past?”
He casts me a dark look. “Did you eat?”
I shake my head.
He looks away. “You should eat.”
“And I will. In a moment.” Something catches my eye and I take his hand, lifting his arm. “What happened here?”
“It’s nothing. A scratch.”
“Not from the hydra? That creature’s poison is slow to act but it will burn you from the inside out, if the stories are to be believed.”
“The hydra didn’t cause this. So…” His lashes shadow his eyes as he gazes down at me. “You said you’d do anything to have me return the egg?”
“I never said that.”
“That means… you don’t want me to do it?” His mouth tugs into a smirk, his expression lightening. “Are you sure? I can make you a good deal.”
“Which involves crawling and begging?”
“Oh, you were paying attention.”
I snort. Gods, I can’t keep up with his quicksilver moods. “No deal.”
“You’d rather wait for the griffin to come grab you again?”
“That’s not playing fair.” A shiver wracks me.
“Hey.” He lifts a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, then he gently grips my chin. “Sorry. I keep saying the wrong things.”
Does he realize what he’s doing to me? Every time he touches me, my breath catches. A tender gesture. A tender touch. This vulnerability about him when he’s usually closed off and surly. It always catches me off guard.
“Your world is dangerous,” I whisper.
He gazes at me, a question in his eyes, and releases my chin. “Yeah?”
“If I can’t leave this place, I want… I want you to teach me how to fight. I won’t be a burden and put you all in danger.”
He straightens slowly. “That can be arranged.”
“The way you use your scimitars is impressive. I didn’t know such weapons were still in use.” I know I’ve shattered the tender moment, but nervousness grips me, and I can’t stop chattering. “I thought straight swords have been favored since the reignof King Eventhor, before the Last Reversal. Unless… you found them here.”
“Something like that,” he murmurs.
“You must have found lots of stuff, like the clothes Talton located for me. I still don’t understand how so many things are just there, lying about. But… stories. They are part of stories, just like the hydra and the river.” I smile. “Oh Gods, I will put on clothes from a story. That’s amazing!”
Unexpectedly he grins. “You’re so obsessed with stories. It’s kind of cute, though fucking crazy.”
I can’t recall him ever grinning before. It has to be the first time. It’s a bit unsettling, fae teeth being sharper than human, the canines a little longer, giving him a feral look, and yet he’s cute… Cute and hot…
He tips his head back. “Now let’s go back to what you owe me.”
