Page 5 of A Hal for my Heart

I searched the corners of my mind for more jokes when Briar’s frail voice interrupted my thoughts.

“What if the knight were a cat?”

“Uhm… a cat?”

He nodded, his eyes expectant, and it hit me like lightning.

“Sir Paw-some!”

Briar giggled, low in his throat, then smiled wider.

“And his twin Sir Purrr-cival!” Damn, I was on a roll now. Briar was laughing, and it was beautiful; his entire face lit up.

“You’re…” he started, then shook his head.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just…” He slowly got up from his chair. “I think I’ll retire, too.”

“Okay.” I didn’t feel like saying goodnight yet, though. I felt like staying up late and just continuing to tell Briar jokes, listening to his careful laughter. He did look tired, though. “Can I walk you to your room then?”

He eyed me hesitantly, then nodded. “Yes.”

Chapter Three

Briar

We walked in silence, and I already missed the way I’d laughed just seconds before. It felt so good to let go like that. I felt lighter than I had in months. Hal was such a wonderful surprise, and I already longed to laugh like that again, all carefree and light.

The way to my chambers felt much shorter than usual now that I had company. I did my best to walk slower, preparing to blame my short legs if he’d ask what was wrong. It was good being short sometimes, especially when it made our time together last longer.

We passed a servant carrying some laundry, and as usual, they made a big show of walking all the way around me, giving me the space I needed. Hal frowned as the servant disappeared around the corner, eyeing me with a quirked brow. I noticed how there was the tiniest scar just underneath the brow line, cutting halfway into the hairs. It looked old. I wondered if he’d gotten it as a child, running around and playing in the woods. Or perhaps it had been a work injury. It was close to the eye, so he’d been lucky. It made him look more… rugged, in a way. Definitely more handsome, I decided as he kept watching me with a bemused look.

I blinked, just now realizing we’d reached my chambers. “Oh, sorry,” I said, my cheeks heating with an incoming blush.

“For staring?” he winked, confidently calling me out and not allowing me any sort of escape.

“I, um… I noticed your scar.” I raised my hand to my face, touching my own brow, so he’d know which scar I meant.

Hal nodded slowly, then something flickered in his deep brown eyes. “If I tell you how I got it, will you tell me why all the servants walk around you like you smell bad? Which you don’t, by the way.” His full lips curled into a crooked smile, and instantly, my heart thought it was a good time to practice somersaults in my chest.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, at a loss for what to say. The way he’d asked so easily about something that most people would not dare ask. This alpha was so unexpected and different from what I’d been taught to believe, and I found myself murmuring, “Sure.”

His face lit up. “Cool! I got the scar helping Gus get some honey from a tree. We’d only known each other for a few days back then, and somehow we found ourselves feeling adventurous.” His voice spilled over with fondness as he recalled the memory, and I saw how much he loved Gus. It was still confusing, the idea that alphas had feelings just like us, and weren’t just ruthless creatures driven by instinct. Of course, as I’d come to know Gus, I’d slowly realized he wasn’t like that, but I’d thought he was just the exception to the rule. Since then, we’d learned the truth and realized the lies we’d been told about alphas.

“Did you get the honey?” I asked, smiling when I remembered just how much our king’s consort loved his honey.

Hal shot me a wink that did things to my insides, things I’d never felt before. Excitement, confusion, and longing. I wanted someone to look at me like that all the time, as if I mattered and that I wasn’t invisible, someone to avoid. “Of course we did!” He lifted his one bulky arm and flexed it, huge muscles rippling behind the fabric of his white shirt. My mouth went dry, and I swayed on my feet. Gods, those were a lot of muscles…

“Great,” I swallowed, already eager for some alone time with that winking Hal as my visual fantasy.

Leaning closer, he hummed, “Your turn,” and his warm breath danced across my face. I shook myself before I spilled all my secrets. I couldn’t tell him the truth, not yet. Hopefully, I could someday—if he survived. Instead, I told him what everyone else had been told.

“I don’t like people touching me,” I began, hating how I had to lie to Hal’s face. “I, um… touch makes me uncomfortable. I hate it.” I made sure to really stress the word hate, hoping it would deter him from ever touching me again.

“Oh.” He blinked rapidly in confusion until it seemed to dawn on him. “So they’re being respectful of you.”

I nodded. “Yes. They’ve known me since I was a child. It started when I was in my teens. They’re used to me and my strange ways.” The lie burned on my tongue, although I’d told it a thousand times by now.