I shrug. “It was a rough day.”
I don’t like the way Daegan is assessing me, the way his eyes are slightly narrowed like he’s trying to figure something out. He does that a lot.
“What?” I ask.
He takes another sip, and I watch his long neck twitch as he swallows.
I’ll wait, I guess.
He sets the glass down, folds his arms over the table, then looks into my eyes. “You’ve never been in any sort of danger like that before, have you? Have you ever used your powers to do anything besides make a bath or fill a canteen?” he asks in that smooth tone of his.
“Just the time an asshole of a dragon held a knife to my damn throat,” I spit back, meeting his gaze with more menace.
He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look angry. If anything, his gaze… softens. Which makes me madder. “That body you saw the other day… it was your first? You vomited… you were shaken.”
Now I flinch. The image appears clearly again like it never left. It reminds me how I’m in over my head. I wasn’t raised for this. I’m not a warrior. I’ve never seen death.
Well, I suppose I have now.
And look how well I’ve taken it.
“I’m sorry,” Daegan says in a low voice. He might actually look sincere. His eyes are softer than usual. But which part he’s apologizing for, I don’t know.
I shake my head and bite my lip, looking away. The adrenaline from the day is wearing down, the reality of everything setting in. I was too focused atthe time to realize it, but I felt true terror in those moments when I thought Raef was possibly dead. My eyes begin to water, and I curse myself for being so weak. I blink, trying my absolute hardest to breathe and make it go away before a tear falls in front of them. There’s no way they’ll still want to help me if they realize how truly unprepared I am for all of this.
I shouldn’t have drank the ale. Historically, I tend to lean into my sadness when I drink it. It’s never a great idea. That’s why I usually go for pink wine. But I was already feeling all of these things, the ale just heightened it. And made it harder for me to put on a brave face.
“Why do you want to do this?” Daegan asks softly, his voice gentler than I’ve ever heard him.
“I don’t know,” I whisper, my eyes still locked in on some people dancing across the room. They’re simply blurs of motion, though. He doesn’t push, allowing me to have a moment.
“Okay,” Daegan finally says, his tone shifting. “If we’re going to trust each other completely, let’s share some things.”
“We’ll never trust each other completely…”
“Well, as much as we can,” he counters. “Because I think this… quest depends on it.”
“So you guys are going to… help me?”
Daegan turns toward Raef, and it seems an entire conversation passes between them in a flash. Then it’s Raef who turns to face me again. “I don’t think any of us has much of a choice. The witch sort of solidified this alliance, didn’t he?”
“There’s always a choice,” I mutter.
“Then… we’re choosing,” Raef declares.
“What do you say, princess?” Daegan folds his large biceps and watches me with a steady gaze as he awaits my response.
My mouth is slightly agape with shock as my gaze dances between the two former nemeses turned… allies?
And yet, an effortless, “yes” falls out of my mouth.
Daegan offers a slightly surprised nod. Raef beams.
“Okay. So, what kind of sharing are we talking?” I ask.
“I’ve never been in love,” Raef announces dramatically, holding a hand to his chest and winking at me.
I laugh. He’s full of shit. And as I grin at him, he winks.
