Page 68 of A Wayward Movement

She flushed, and he was glad to see some color back in her cheeks. “That was different.”

“How so?”

“You were so ill and befuddled, I didn’t think you’d remember any of it,” she told him matter-of-factly.

Xavier laughed. “Well, my memory is very sharp.” A sigh escaped him. “Too much so, sometimes.”

Alina said nothing, but after stifling another huge yawn, she didn’t resist when Xavier put an arm around her shoulder and guided her to lean against him. It was a companionable sensation, and it stirred something deep within him that had nothing to do either with the opportunity for flirtation he was passing up, or even the undeniable attractiveness of the girl next to him. Other than his siblings, there was no one in his life with whom he could be comfortable and companionable, with no need to watch his words or curate his mask. It had been that way once with Alina. Not since they’d reconnected, of course. He’d been very intentional about his campaign to charm her, but he had to question his strategy given the simple bliss of the comfortable silence they now shared.

The journey between the refinement site and the town took longer by carriage, but they still made good time. Alina slept most of the way, but it was a broken, unsettled sleep, jostled around as she was, with Xavier’s shoulder for a dubious pillow. When they reached the inn, Xavier instructed the carriage to wait, and laid a sleeping Alina carefully across the seat. He strode into the inn, calling for the landlord, who bustled out at once.

A few minutes later, Xavier returned to the carriage with hot food wrapped in paper. He directed the carriage right to Alina’s home, jumping out first. When he helped a very drowsy Alina climb out, the door to the dressmaker’s shop swung open. The bell jangled as Lilah hurried to meet them.

“Alina!” she said, her pretty features creased in worry. “What happened?”

“I’m all right,” Alina assured her.

“We got lost in the desert last night,” Xavier told Lilah. He dropped his voice to a murmur, given they were on the street. “She overextended herself protecting us magically from threats.”

Lilah bit her lip, looking concerned but not surprised. She put an arm under Alina’s, and Xavier reluctantly relinquished his own supporting grip.

“Here.” He handed the food to Lilah. “I think what she most needs is a long and uninterrupted sleep, but she should eat this first.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Lilah bobbed a curtsy. “You’re very kind.”

Xavier didn’t feel kind. He felt wretched as he watched Lilah help Alina inside. Maybe his mind was still addled by the basilisk, because the pang he felt as the door closed behind them was more than just concern. It was an echo of old heartbreak.

There had never been anything he’d hated more than watching Alina walk away from him.

Chapter

Sixteen

Alina sat on the edge of her bed, turning her head experimentally from side to side.

“How do you feel?” Lilah asked, bustling into the room with a cup of hot tea.

“Good,” said Alina. She gave her friend a bright smile as she accepted the tea. “So much better. I think I’m back to normal.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Lilah said in a dampening voice that didn’t suit her at all.

Alina chuckled. “Well, maybe a little tired still. But honestly, I feel good. And I want to move around. I’m sick of this bed.”

“That seems like a good sign,” Lilah said encouragingly. “I don’t blame you. You’ve been pretty much stuck in it for two days.”

“It feels longer,” Alina said, making a face. She looked toward the window, but she couldn’t see much from where she sat. “I wonder if there’s an update in the investigation. They’ve probably moved on, maybe back to Alton?”

“No, they haven’t left,” Lilah said, surprised. “They’re here, waiting for you to recover. Didn’t you know?”

Alina frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The prince has been to the shop twice a day since you got back, to check on you. He said yesterday to reassure you that they’ll be waiting when you’re better, but not to rush the recovery.” A resigned look crossed Lilah’s face. “Benji was supposed to pass on the message when I sent him up with food yesterday. I should have realized he would be stubborn about it.”

Alina didn’t know what to say. Xavier had come to check on her? Not once, but regularly? She felt her cheeks warming, and busied herself drinking her tea in hopes of hiding it from Lilah.

“Poor Benji,” she said lightly. “He means so well, and he can’t see that he’s making himself ridiculous.”

“He just doesn’t want to see you get hurt,” Lilah said. She paused, her voice becoming softer. “And neither do I.”