Page 24 of A Lick of Flame

I don’t get anything, not a glance in my direction…nothing.

“We needed those items,” I try.

“You stole from my friends,” she growls; her eyes are still on the path ahead. “You didn’t tell me what you were up to.” She turns blazing eyes at me. “I was worried. I thought that something might have… That you were…” She makes a noise of irritation and looks back to the front, squaring her shoulders.

“You were afraid something might have happened to me.” I’m trying to hold back a grin. “I didn’t know you cared.”

“Out of everything I just said, that’s what you take from this conversation?” She narrows her eyes on me. “I was afraid because if something happens to you, then that would affect Delphine, which might, in turn, affect Raila. Also, I have no idea how to get to this forest or how to find this witch. Being worried about you has everything to do with self-preservation. It has nothing whatsoever to do with anything else.”

“Noted. I had to take those items.”

“Steal them, you mean.”

“You will thank me tonight when you have a bedroll to sleep on and a blanket to keep you warm. Then there’re the oats for our mounts. We need to keep them fed, too.”

“I get that. I understand your thinking, but I could have asked for those things. You didn’t have to steal them.”

“They would have suspected something if you’d asked for bed rolls and oats. Of that, I can assure you.”

She pushes out a breath, reminding me of my dragon for a moment. All that fire inside of her. It’s invigorating after being trapped in that hellhole for so long.

“What are you looking at?” she snaps.

“I’m plucking up the courage to apologize, that’s all. I am really sorry. I would have warned you, but I only thought of our sleeping arrangements after you left. If not for the bedrolls and blankets, we would have been forced to use body heat to stay warm.”

Her gaze snaps to mine, and her mouth falls open. “You can’t be serious.”

“There would have been no other choice since nights out here can be bitterly cold. I knew you would hate the idea, so I had to come up with something else, and fast. The only thing I could think of was to take the items while you and your friends were tacking up the horses. I had to take the long way around to get there and back so that no one would see me. I couldn’t think of any way of letting you know.” I shrug.

I see her relax just a little.

“And I’m really sorry I had to steal from your friends and that I caused you to worry.” I drop my reins, putting both my hands up. “Not worried about me, but about our quest. I get it; you don’t want to be friends with me. I only hope that we can move on from you hating me to just disliking me immensely. That would be a weight off my shoulders.”

I see her mouth twitch with the start of a smile she won’t let herself give me. It doesn’t matter; something eases in me all the same. I’m not sure why I care so much, but I do. It has a lot to do with having a better chance of surviving the days ahead if we’re on talking terms, at the very least.

“You are staring at me again,” she says without looking my way.

“I was just thinking how good you look in the saddle. You’re suited to riding. A natural.”

She pats her mount. “I used to ride a lot as a child. We—” she catches herself. “He’s sweet, which helps a lot.”

“His name is Midnight, and this is Copper.” I scratch my mare’s neck.

She gasps. “How do you know that?”

“I’m a beastfae, which means that I just do. Like you just knew Raila’s name.” I shrug. “I have the ability to connect with animals, although…”

“Although?” she says, lifting her brows.

I sigh. “My powers aren’t working as they should. They’re not as reliable, as they used to be. These horses have been well looked after their whole life. They have wanted for nothing. They are open and receptive to me, unlike most other animals I have encountered since—” I stop myself there.

“Since what?”

Since becoming a fae again. Since becoming me again, but I can’t tell her that.

“Since escaping the pit,” I settle on since it is as close to the truth as I dare venture.

“How did you escape?” she asks, glancing my way. “And how long were you there for?”

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