Page 40 of A Blaze of Fire
He paused for a moment. “For what?”
“For keeping me warm,” I answered. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did,” he whispered. “I’ll do anything to protect you.”
My heart started to race and my breathing shuddered. There was no way I would be able to fall asleep now. Sometimes Alec said things that were way out of character for him. Or maybe it was thewayhe said them that seemed unusual.
“I can’t sleep,” I finally sighed.
“Do you want me to sing you a song?” he asked without a trace of humor.
I froze in place for a moment. “You can sing?”
He nodded and stroked my hair as he nestled me to his chest. “All fae can sing. Just relax,” he cooed as he started to sing a lullaby. His voice was soft, wistful, and most of all, it was putting me to sleep. I never thought someone as irrational and dark as Alec could sing, but I was sorely mistaken. Those were my final thoughts before dream-filled darkness swept me under.
17
VIOLET
The next morning, we packed up and headed to the next town, which was about a six-hour horse ride from where we’d spent the night. As Alec saddled our horse, I was waiting idly by with Rook standing guard when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Excuse me,” the person muttered.
I spun around to face the newcomer and recognized him as the Unseelie I’d attempted to treat yesterday. “Oh, hello!” Even though I hadn’t been able to treat his wounds, he looked remarkably better this morning. I supposed Alec was right when he said they healed quickly.
He pulled his hand out from behind his back and revealed a basket. “Here,” he said. “This is for you. They’re freshly picked from my garden this morning. Th-Thank you for what you tried to do yesterday. No one’s ever tried to help me.” His eyes full of shame and embarrassment, he looked down at his feet.
I accepted the basket and moved the cloth aside to see an array of fruits from the Fae realm, many I hadn’t tried yet. My eyes widened in appreciation. “Wow, thank you so much! “But this isn’t necessary. I only did what I hoped someone would do for me.”
The Unseelie bowed before me. “I’m in your debt, my lady.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I would offend him if I refused his gesture. While I stood and tried to think of a proper response, the Unseelie straightened and walked away briskly, leaving me holding a basket of fruits and wondering what just happened.
“Do you want me to take those for you, Lady Violet?” Rook offered.
I snapped out of my daze and handed the basket to him. “Oh, yes, please. Thank you, Rook.” He nestled the basket with the rest of our things.
Before long, we were all mounted on our horses and traveling down the road to the next town. I shifted awkwardly in the saddle, suddenly uncomfortable with Alec so close against me. We’d spent the night together in the same bed, our bodies almost as close as they could get, but when I awoke this morning, he was gone and it was as if he’d never been there. I was left with a lonely, empty feeling I really didn’t want to explore.
“Stop moving so much,” Alec grumbled behind me.
“Sorry.” I tried to sit still.
“When we reach the next town, I think it’s best if we train a bit. You obviously need something to keep you busy,” Alec said. “The last thing I want is for you to get involved trying to save another Unseelie,” he whispered in my ear.
I gritted my teeth. “I won’t get involved anymore.”
He chuckled. “Of course you won’t. Because I’ll be keeping you busy from now on.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so condescending. You know that?”
“So I’ve been told,” he muttered mindlessly.
“So … where were you this morning?” I asked casually, peering around at our surroundings as if I wasn’t dying to know where he’d been. The dirt road we traveled on was empty, leaving nothing but green fields around us. Blue-tinged mountains lay to the east, their crests shrouded by thick mist. With my rudimentary sense of navigation, I assumed that meant the ocean and castle must be to the west.
“Why?” Alec whispered, his lips touching my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Did you miss me?”
“Pfft,” I scoffed. “You wish.” I pushed away from him and tried to add space between us, which was extremely hard to do when we were squeezed together on a horse.
