Page 18 of Hair, She Bears
“I don’t need assistance.” Jax’s growl was met by silence. He rolled his shoulders forward, cowering in front of Mother’s fury.
“Carlyle, I want you to guard the south tower.” Mother turned, his gaze lifted to the window. Zenna ducked down. “No one enters, no one leaves. Jax will relieve you at midnight, where he will remain on duty if he returns without word of my son.”
“Yes, Mother.” Carlyle touched his hand to his forehead.
“Looks like I’m staying the night.” Malik shoved the mirror into his pocket.
Zenna paled, her head whipping between him and the window.
Malik laughed. “I can sleep on the sofa.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that.” Except now, she was thinking about it—the way his mouth moved over her skin, his body pressed hard against her. She blushed, heat crawling through her cheeks.
He arched an eyebrow, his lips twitched. “What were you thinking about?”
“Why would Mother assign a guard to my tower? He’s never done that before.”
“Ever?” Malik frowned.
“Do you think he suspects you’re still here?”
“No one saw me climb up, I waited until they left.” Malik shifted, digging his shoulder blades into the wall. “He must think you’ll try to escape tonight.”
“I wouldn’t risk my parents’ lives.” Zenna drew a small circle on the floor.
“Yet Carlyle and Jax are spending the night beneath your window… You should introduce yourself.”
“What purpose would that serve?”
“At some point, I’ll need to leave. It would be easier if Carlyle were asleep when I climbed down.”
“How would talking to him convince him to fall asleep?”
“You don’t look threatening.” Malik covered her hand with his. “He is kinder than Jax and will underestimate the situation.”
She nodded and rose. Her gaze slid across the compound, searching for Mother. Neither he nor the other men were visible. Leaning out the window, she glanced down. Carlyle marched a lazy circle around the base.
“Hello,” she said, cupping her hand around her mouth.
Carlyle ignored her.
“Hello!”
He flinched, then kept walking.
“I know you can hear me.”
“So, what if I can?” He stopped and glared up at her.
“I have a question for you.”
“I ain’t helping you down.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you that.”
“You don’t want my help?” He pulled on the end of a long, salt-and-pepper beard and glanced over his shoulder as if he expected Mother to appear and castigate him for speaking to Zenna.
“Of course not.” She gave him a winning smile.
