CHAPTER 17
Arie
ANOBLEMAN’S CARRIAGEAPPROACHED.
“What do you mean our ‘ride’?” I hissed.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Kadin smiled at me. The gold flecks in his eyes seemed brighter in the light of the setting sun. “We’re going to attend the celebration.”
I scowled. “You know perfectly well you didn’t tell me.” How had he kept this from me? Was he so confident in his plans, he hadn’t even needed to think about it? At least, he hadn’t in my presence.
“You only just met me,” I reminded him. I couldnotbe seen at this dinner. What if we ran into guests who recognized me? “How do you know I won’t betray you all?” Surely that would change his mind. “I’ll have to sit this one out.”
He only shrugged. “I think you’ll be fine.”
My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to find the right words. “What—how can you—why would you trust me?”
“I don’t know,” he said, scratching his chin where there was a shadow of a dark beard forming on his jaw. He pretended to consider me intently. “You have a very trustworthy face.”
I snorted.
“Besides, usually when someone is running from something, they don’t like to draw attention to themselves.”
I froze in place on the road. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t until just now.” He stopped as well, grinning at the shock on my face, as he raised a hand to wave down the carriage that drew closer.
The driver pulled on the reins to stop and the nobles poked their heads out the window to see what the fuss was about.
“Hello there,” Kadin called easily, smiling at them as he strode up to the carriage. I trailed after him. A local Shah, his wife, and their daughter peered out at us. I didn’t recognize any of them and blew out a soft breath of relief.
“I do apologize for the inconvenience,” Kadin was saying. “But our carriage broke down and we’ve been forced to walk to the party. It’s terribly undignified. I don’t suppose you’d have room for two guests? We’d be happy to compensate you for your troubles.”
I raised my brow at Kadin’s sudden fine manners, so composed and believable.
Despite never having heard of him, they immediately accepted his explanation, inviting us in, and within moments the carriage was moving again.
I sat next to the parents, while Kadin sat across from me, perched on the edge of the seat beside the daughter with his hands on his knees like the perfect gentleman. His clothing was as fine as theirs, but the way his hair fell in front of his eyes and that five-o-clock shadow made him seem just the tiniest bit wild and out of place.
He asked their names, which I promptly forgot, and acted as if we were all good friends who’d known each other for years. I was thankful he charmed them with a steady stream of small talk, because I couldn’t say a word.
I studied Kadin as he chatted away amiably. Who was he really? He didn’t fit the mold of any man I’d met before.
Less than an hour ago, I’d volunteered to go to the horse gate to stay with the animals while the men gathered their things. The poor horses had stood in the heat along the side of the road, attached to a cart, heads drooping, too tired to move.
“They’re working you too hard, aren’t they boy?” I murmured to the closest horse, rubbing the soft white spot on his muzzle. He closed his eyes at the attention, soaking it up, and I moved to scratch the soft fuzz on his shoulder and neck, missing my steed back home.
The other gelding was a soft brown color with dust patches all over from neglect, while my stallion back home was a deep inky black that shone from daily brushing. “You like that, don’t you?” I smiled at them, as I pet them both, relaxing for the first time in a while. The first horse nuzzled me back. “I like you too.”
“You’ve said nicer things to those two in the last five minutes than you have to us in the last two days,” Kadin teased from behind me.
I whirled around to face him, swallowing. “Animals are better than people. They deserve it.”
“People aren’t that bad,” he argued, crossing his arms casually. When I finally glanced up, those golden eyes pinned me in place, studying me curiously.
“They are, actually,” I said. No malice, just the truth. I stepped around him. But I only took a few steps before I heard his fascination with me. I sighed.
