Page 31 of The Princes of Stone and Steel

“Sorry, lass,” he said to me, offering up a pair of navy-blue drawstring sleep pants and a long-sleeve thermal. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything suitable for a lady.”

“We’re part of an acting troupe. We were late and took a shortcut,” I lied to the nice man, which didn’t exactly sit well with me. But what else could I tell him?No, sir, we’ve come from an alternate world through a whirlpool wormhole.Because even if true, that sounded totally believable and wouldn’t get us thrown in lock-up until the men in white coats could examine us. “And these are great,” I continued on. “Thank you.”

Then I excused myself to his bathroom to change. The clothing sagged a little and the pants pooled around the ankles a bit too much, so with every step, I stepped on the heels. That problem was easily fixed by gathering the fabric and tying a knot at each ankle.

Steele ran his finger along my cheek when he passed me to go change after me. That left me alone with our host.

“Could I offer you some tea?” he asked.

I clapped my hands together once, happily visualizing me holding that warm cup. “Oh, that would be great.”

“I’ve got some lamb stew warming in the pot on the stove if you’re hungry. You eat lamb?” the man asked me. “I notice, at least, that you’re American. Can’t place your friend’s accent, though.”

“Yes, to both. I’m American and I eat lamb.” I’d eat lizard about now, since we’d ended up missing our picnic lunch and I’d skipped breakfast. My stomach took that moment to prove my point grumbling loudly, which caused Steele to laugh.

“Both of you, sit and warm up. I’ll bring the food out,” the old man explained. “’Tis nice to have the company.”

“Are you sure? I can help,” I offered. But he simply waved me away. Okay. “What’s our plan?” I asked the prince then, once the man was out of earshot.

“Not now. We’ll discuss it later.”

And that was when I noticed the elbow of the old man partially sticking out in the entryway to the kitchen, not totally out of earshot. This meant, instead of talking more, I got to cuddle. I leaned my head against Steele’s shoulder and snuggled down, absorbing his body heat at the same time absorbing the heat from the fire, to really warm up.

Mr. McGuire, or Tom, as he introduced himself, walked out of the kitchen holding a large tray with two bowls of steaming lamb, potato, carrot and parsnip stew, followed by two cups with saucers of hot tea, along with a small platter of soda bread and soft butter. I’d kiss Tom if I didn’t think it would ruffle Steele’s feathers.

After Steele took our tray from him, he popped back in the kitchen to get his food, then joined us. Though he sat on the small sofa instead of the floor like us. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist, yet Tom acted as if he enjoyed having company.

The three of us sat in a comfortable silence chewing bites of delicious stew and sipping our warm beverages. But to be safe, once we’d all finished eating, even though I stood to take the dishes back into the kitchen, Steele stood up faster, under the ruse of taking our bowls. Stopping to gather Tom’s, he made sure to look the old man in the eyes. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to seeing those brushed aluminum eyes shift to that shiny, reflective surface.

He pushed the idea into old Tom’s head. “Why don’t you young ones stay tonight,” Tom offered. This power of Steele’s came in handy but that didn’t mean it set well with me. Tom’s kindness came through in a way that I knew that even if the idea hadn’t been pushed into his mind, it would’ve still been there.

Eventually we found ourselves laying on a thick patchwork quilt, with a second quilt thrown over top of us for warmth, in front of the fire, which Steele kept stoked. It was a new adventure for us as Steele and I had never gotten to sleep next to one another before. A fact he had to tell me, because as of yet, I still didn’t remember. I used his arm for my pillow.

Looking behind us, the king of the Forfex wanted me dead. Ahead of us lay a very uncertain future. Uncertain to the point that I wasn’t wholly sure the king wouldn’t get his way. Yet despite all those things, things that should’ve filled me with deep-seated fear and anxiety, for the first time in a while, I felt safe. Maybe I shouldn’t have let myself feel that way, because wasn’t that when things went wrong?

But I couldn’t help myself.

“Mils, I’m afraid it’s just you and me for now.” My snuggly, cozy pillow had the nerve to interrupt my mellow state. I needed to not be selfish. The fact that he brought it up meant that the weight of our problems was too much for him to shoulder alone. It wasn’t very fair of me to want him to shoulder them either.

I rolled to my side in order to face him, ready to take on whatever load he needed me to bear.

“Do we move on or keep here with Tom?” I asked.

“We might stay a few days with Tom. He seems to genuinely like us.”

When I looked at him, puzzled, he finished, “I haven’t had to push too hard. Gentle nudges, really.”

“Well, that’s good at least.”

He laughed softly so as not to wake up our host and shook his head at me. “Millie, you were always far too kind for the life of a flesh.”

Somehow, that didn’t sound like a compliment. But before I could freak out on him, Steele reached over to brush his thumb along the apple of my cheek, finishing the move by brushing a few strands of hair behind my ear.

“It’s what drew me to you. Aside from my sister, most people would stab me in the back if they thought they could advance their station.”

What? That can’t be right. Even Stipator?

As if reading my thoughts, he said, “Even Stipator. The man is my subject, not my friend. He’s loyal to the Forfex, not me.”

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