Page 48 of A Thieving Curse

“It was an accident.” His tail curled up and his wings quivered. “I lost my temper and wasn’t being careful. She still has the scars on her arm. I swore I’d never hurt anyone again. And I haven’t.” He looked at her again, his eyes earnest. “I’d sooner hurt myself than hurt you.”

It didn’t exactly make Raelyn feel completely safe. But it did ease the tension in her chest. She could tell he didn’twantto hurt her. “I believe you.”

He stepped closer. Some reflexive part of her wanted to back away, but she didn’t. “Perhaps it would help if I wasn’t so…foreign. Unknown.” He bent down and grabbed her hand.

“What are you—”

“You don’t have to fear me.” Alexander crouched and guided her hand to one of his horns. “I just have some extra parts.” He closed her fingers around the horn. The surface was perfectly smooth, almost soft, spiraling without any hard edges. He let go of her hand. “Do you fear goats because they have horns?”

Feeling a little uncomfortable, she pulled her hand away, recalling watching the baby goats for hours on end every spring with Gareth. Something they hadn’t been able to do this year. “Their horns are natural. And cute.”

He pursed his lips. “True.” He straightened. “Goats are cute, huh?”

She followed him as he continued walking. “Kids are cute. Adult goats are more…humorous. Especially when they have beards.” She smiled to herself, thinking of Gareth holding long wild grass to his chin and pretending to be a goat to make her laugh the time she’d twisted her ankle, and her nurse wouldn’t let her leave her bed.

“Well, ours have beards, so you should like them.”

She started. “You have…goats?”

17

THE PRINCE AND his friends kept goats? It seemed too surreal to be true. He must be joking.Although Raelyn couldn’t imagine why he would lie about keeping goats. The possibility of having stumbled into a chance to actually be a shepherdess made her unexpectedly excited.

“Did you think we made cheese from the pines?” Alexander gave her a teasing grin.

“I…” She hadn’t even considered it. “Where?”

“There’s a pen around the side of the mountain.” He frowned. “They get anxious around me. Don’t like how I smell, I guess. We have a chicken coop in the cave, too. And a sort of greenhouse where Meredith grows some vegetables and things.”

“Oh.” They walked for a couple minutes in silence. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh?”

He raised a brow. “So many promises from me today, Princess.”

“Is that a yes?”

“I reserve my right to laugh.”

“Hmph.” She folded her arms. For some reason, she decided to tell him, anyway. Maybe because she felt badly that she’d made him tell her so many personal things. “When I was little, I wanted to be a shepherdess and raise goats.”

Alexander stopped. “You…were a princess. And you wanted…to raise…goats.”

“Yes.” Her ears burned, and she fidgeted, wishing she hadn’t said anything.

“Goats. You wanted to milk them and care for them and clean up their muck?”

Raelyn tugged on her sleeves. “I was eleven. I wasn’t really thinking about cleaning muck. I was thinking about wearing woolen dresses and living in a cottage in a spacious field. Watching the kids jump and play, and the old goats waggle their beards and getting swept off my feet by a muscular shepherd.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said.

There was a moment of silence. “A…muscular shepherd?” Amusement laced his voice.

“I had a crush on the royal shepherd’s son, all right? I was eleven!”

“You…” He hid his mouth behind his hand for a second, then continued walking. “And how old was this shepherd’s son?”

Nope. Not answering that.“I’d read one too many love poems, all right? Let it go.”

“Ah, no, not letting it go.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Come on, tell me about him.”

She glared as she walked beside him. “I’m never telling you anything again.”

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