The Great Spice Road continued around the Mountains of the Moon, a narrow and winding path through the thick forests hemming in the range. A chill clung to the air as we traveled deeper into the woods, and when I looked up, I saw snow on some of the mountaintops.
I took out the shoes, humming to myself as Opal trotted toward the mountains, and I checked my work from the night before. Only after a while did I realize I was humming the little tune Edan often whistled.
Of course, his enchanter’s ears had heard me. Chuckling, he brought his horse closer to mine so that we rode side by side. “It’s a good song. Quite catchy, if I may say so.”
I wasn’t ready to talk to him. Ever since he’d almost kissed me, the air between us was heavy. Different.
I gave Opal a kick so she’d break from Rook’s side and ride ahead.
“Don’t ride in the sun,” Edan called after me. “Your freckles are multiplying.”
I glared at him, shouting, “You know exactly what a girl wants to hear!”
But I did guide Opal into the shade, cursing Edan under my breath—and my hammering heart. How his teasing got under my skin! How it made my heart pound and set my cheeks aflame. My brothers’ jokes had never done that to me.
Edan caught up with me, looking more solemn than before. “Are you upset with me, Maia?” He managed a little grin. “I was joking about your freckles. I like them very much. Every one of them.”
His eyes were too blue. I looked away from them and groped for the right words. “Why do you enjoy tormenting me?”
He paused for an agonizing second; then, curse him, he simply blinked, looking confused. “Tormenting?”
Demon’s breath! How dense could he be?
A tight reel of words had been weighing on my tongue all day, and now I could not stop it from unspooling. “All this teasing, and pretending to care about me.” My hands wheeled in wild circles, as if mimicking the way Edan’s moved when he talked might help him understand. “And the other night when you tried to kiss me, I thought—I thought you might—”
I stopped, a hot burst of embarrassment flaring across my cheeks. Suddenly I wished the earth would open and swallow me up.
Gods, what had I just done? What had I just said?
I jumped off my horse, but Edan caught my arm before I could go. “You thought I might what?” he asked. All humor had fled his voice, and I couldn’t bear the intensity of his gaze.
“Nothing,” I mumbled.
“Maia—Maia. Look at me.”
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
Edan wouldn’t let me go. His voice turned soft. “You thought I might care for you?”
I pinched my eyes shut, mustered a scowl. “I said it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t to me,” he said, still quiet. “I wasn’t pretending. I do care.”
Now I looked at him, half sure I’d find a grin on his lips and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, but there was none.
“I do care,” he repeated. “But when you’re an enchanter, there isn’t much time for romancing. No girl has ever caused me to question this.” His voice became even softer, if that was possible. “Then again, none of the girls were you.”
My knees wobbled then, and my scowl fell out of place. “Me?”
“You’re quite oblivious at times, myxitara.”
“Stop teasing me,” I said, my lower lip quivering. “It isn’t funny.”
Edan’s broad shoulders tensed, but his eyes—his deep, sapphire eyes—were clear. “I tried to tell you, but I thought—” He inhaled. The Edan I knew was never at a loss for words.
“Thought what?”
He took a step closer to me. “I thought you found me disagreeable.”
