“Good night, Frida,” Rune murmured.
Something about the way he said my name sounded like a promise.
12
RUNE
Moira weaved through my legs while I stood by a pot hanging over the hearth-fire. I stirred the eggs that sizzled inside, whistling one of the tunes we’d heard at the tavern last night. After I’d found Frida lurking around my woodworking table, sleep had eluded me, but now I felt a bit like I’d guzzled a bucket of Galdur sand. This was the most energized I’d felt in months.
I tried not to dwell on why that was, but I struggled to get the image of Frida’s heart-shaped face out of my mind. Last night had been genuinely enjoyable, and I usually hated crowds. Sure, she’d poked around the cottage after I’d fallen asleep…which had increased my suspicions, but I could acknowledge it had been dark. She might have gotten turned around.
And I definitely hadn’t minded when she’d practicallythrummedbeneath my touch. I couldn’t be sure I hadn’t imagined that part, though. In the fresh light of day, Frida’s reaction almost felt like a dream.
A very good dream, I hated to admit.
“Something smells heavenly,” said Frida.
My eyes were instantly drawn to her. She stood in the doorway of the guest bedroom—herbedroom now. Her hair was unbound and spilling over her shoulders in soft waves. She’d already changed back into her clothes. Her leathers again rather than the tunics and trousers she’d worn yesterday.
She noticed my attention had gone to the leather straps that encircled her upper thigh. Blushing, she said, “About this. I thought…perhaps I’m overstaying my welcome here.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about? You’re my assistant, which means you lodge here in this cottage so you can be on hand to help when I need it. And to be honest, that’s basically all the damn time until that fence gets built.”
“Surely you don’t want me to stay here for weeks, let alone longer than that.” She nibbled on her bottom lip.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my assistant. Besides, where else would you go? The inn’s full.”
“I thought I could just camp out in the woods,” she said.
I searched her gaze. “Is this about last night?”
“What?” Her blush deepened. “No.”
So then it was. Which part of it, though? The part where I’d caught her poking around or the part where I’d almost scraped my lips across the back of her neck? The part where I’d felt the want burning between us.
“I don’t mind if you get up in the middle of the night for a snack,” I said slowly.
She gave me a look. “You clearly thought I was sneaking around and looking in your drawers.”
I arched a brow. “And were you?”
“Well, a little bit.” She shifted uneasily on her feet. “I fell asleep with the lamp still on, and it woke me up. I didn’t think I’d be able to fall back asleep right away, so I…decided to look around.”
“I see.” I turned back to the pot and pulled it off the fire. The eggs were glistening and ready to eat.
“Which means I betrayed your trust. I really oughtn’t take advantage of your hospitality like this,” she said quietly.
“Frida, it’s fine. While I don’t like you poking around my things, I’ve got nothing to hide. Just don’t do it again.”
A tense moment passed, the cottage silent other than the clinking of dishes while I served up breakfast. I’d put together a feast of eggs, bacon, and buttered potatoes, along with some of that cheese she loved so much. The kettle whistled, ready for me to brew the tea.
“I thought you’d be angry and want me to leave.” Her eyes tracked my every move, but she hadn’t budged from her bedroom door.
“Well, I’m not.” I sank into the nearest chair and motioned at the array of food I’d laid out on the table. “So, are you going to join me, or are you going to make me eat all this by myself?”
She pressed her lips together, then said. “You do sound a bit annoyed.”
“I’ll be more annoyed if you insist on camping out in the forest alone, especially with the Elding coming last night. It’ll probably storm a few more nights before it fully moves on to somewhere else. And then I’d worry about your safety, so I’d search the forest until I found you.” I pointed at my arm, where the welts were already beginning to fade. “Then I’d get a lot more of these things. Just do me a favor and stay.”
