Page 117 of Whispers of the Elderoak

“And what?”

Raine began laughing. “I’ve known you for nearly eighty years, Cas.”

“So?”

“Women don’t usually fluster you,” he said. “And Avaflustersyou.”

Casimir shook his head. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“You pretend to hate her because you’re scared,” said Raine.

“No,” said Casimir. “I don’t even know her well enough to care one way or the other.”

“Sure,” said Raine. “You keep telling yourself that.”

Casimir glared at him.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” said his friend. “And now, the two of you have to train together.”

“You’re relentless.” Casimir rose and began to walk to his room.

“You think I’m relentless now?” Raine loudly said. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Goodnight, Raine.” Casimir entered his quarters and shut the door, the sound of Raine’s laughter echoing in the living room.

Pacing in front of his fireplace, he realized Raine was right. Ava did fluster him. There was something about her that bothirritated and intrigued him. For someone who was so nervous all the time, she sure knew how to stand up for herself when it came to him. She had no problem yelling back or arguing with him, though most others wouldn’t dream of going toe to toe with the general.

For some reason, he liked it.

And the fact that she had jumped into action and helped during the battle? He’d assumed she was cowering under a table, not helping the injured or stabbing a daemon soldier.

Then there was the moment she disappeared in the swamp. He’d never felt panic like that before and had frantically searched until he found her being dragged under the water. He didn’t even hesitate to rescue her and when he pulled her out, something in him had clicked.

Something he would ignore and not look at yet because they had a war to fight. And he had to get her ready.

40

Ava sat on the balcony of her bedroom, Luna curled up on the floor by her feet. Birds darted above her and chattered to each other as they landed in a nearby tree. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, listening to the sound of running water from the small brook below when a knock on her door sounded.

“Go away,” she called, assuming it was Casimir.

“It’s Raine,” the voice answered. “May I come in?”

“Fine.”

The door opened and Raine strode to the balcony and took a seat on the chair next to her. He handed her a goblet of wine and leaned back in his seat, looking at her.

“What?” she asked as she avoided his stare and remained facing forward, taking a sip of wine.

“I just wanted to check on you.”

“Why do you care?” He remained silent but she could feel his eyes on her. She sighed. “Sorry, I—” She paused and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m just… I don’t know…” she trailed off.

They sat quietly, sipping their wine before Raine spoke again.

“All of this is a lot to take in, I imagine.”

The relief she felt at the acknowledgment of her situation was immense. “Yes.” He waited for her to continue. “I’m just so fucking angry.”

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