He glances toward the bookshop. The door opens and some people start to leave. With a quickthree steps, Archer is standing beside me in the shadows of the buildings.
“I said, I’m fine,” I repeat. “You can go on doing whatever it is you were doing. Seriously, I’m just in a mood. Nothing big.”
Raising a black eyebrow, he comes closer. He’s standing right in front of me. The ruby stone in his necklace catches the moonlight for a moment, and then I look up into his face again. His scent cocoons me and my shoulders drop away from my ears. Some of the tension in me leaves, but the tears keep on coming.
“I’m fine,” I say for the third time.
“Obviously.”
I huff an unfunny laugh and wipe my eyes again. He pulls out a square of sage green linen and hands it to me. I dab at my eyes and chin.
“Thanks,” I mutter, wishing he would go away already.
“Why are you out here? Do you want me to grab Lysandra? You two are close, right? Or you can talk to me. I am very good at keeping things private.”
“No, no, don’t get anyone. Just give me a minute and then you can walk me back to the inn if you insist on helping.”
His browfurrows, and he purses his lips, his gaze smoothing across my features like he is searching for an answer to why I’m upset. I’m not telling him. He will only give me the wholeI told you sofor insisting on doing a reading.
My parents used to do that when I came to them with troubles.You seek out problems, Colette,my father used to say.Problems you wouldn’t have if you simply followed a straighter path in life,Mother would usually add on.You never listen to our warnings.I don’t expose my less-than-happy feelings now. I know better than that as an adult.
“All right. I’m going to walk around the square and come back,” Archer says.
“Good.”
With one more concerned look over his shoulder, he walks away and leaves me to my continued crying. It’s ridiculous how much water can come out of my face. It wasn’t even a big deal. It was two fools being unkind. I take some long, deep breaths.
“Colette?” Lysandra finds me when my face is at last dry. “Are you ill?”
“Oh yeah, I think I ate something off earlier. I’m all right now.”
“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” she asks kindly. “I have an extra cot.”
“No, Archer is going to walk me back to the inn, actually.”
Her eyes widen and a quiet gasp leaves her mouth. “He is?”
“Aye, he was out walking, I believe. Just happened to find me here.”
“That’s good of him. But why didn’t he come to the reading if he was around here anyway?”
“He is still pretty firm on not wanting any part of it. Not yet, anyway.”
“I bet he was watching through the window to get a temperature on the audience’s response.”
“That’s what we would do, Lysandra, but Archer is not us.”
Her right shoulder lifts in a half shrug. “He certainly isn’t.”
She looks like she wants to say something derogatory about the vampire, but he approaches and she lets it drop.
The stroll back to the inn with Archer is mostly silent. I appreciate the lack of continued questioning about my little episode back there. Archer seems very comfortable at night, gazing up at the stars and moon, giving a bat flying overhead a smile, and glancing my way now and then as if to check on me. I don’t hate it. Idon’t hate it one bit. I feel like I could walk with him for ages and never tire of it. He makes me feel safe.
When we get to the door, he faces me and takes my hand. He brushes a kiss over my knuckles and I can’t figure out what to say or how to react. I didn’t expect this at all.
He releases my fingers, looking like he didn’t intend to kiss my hand. “I’m sorry for whatever you’re dealing with. If you ever want to talk, I’d love to listen.”
I blink back yet more tears, damn it all. He is one for deep feelings, it seems. Maybe I should… But my stomach twists and I let the idea fall away.
