Page 12 of Heart of the Raven
“Thank you,” I breathed, slipping out of my shoes. Never would I have dreamed the wildwood could offer such hospitality. And then I thought of Raven’s earlier words. Storehouses were created throughout the wildwood, for the knights of the Dark Queen to rest from their travels. Perhaps this was such a house.
Raven stepped back, watching me carefully. I turned toward him in confusion. “What are you doing? Aren’t you staying?”
“Nightfall comes and I have work to do. What happened today should not happen again.”
I bit my bottom lip, assuming he meant the wolf and the orc. “Will you return?”
That smirk returned. “Of course, my lady.” He bowed.
“Don’t leave me alone out here,” I pleaded, stepping closer to him.
“You have nothing to be afraid of,” he persisted.
I swallowed hard and dropped my eyes, unsure how to tell him that the safety I felt in the wildwood was because of him. Miserably I watched him walk away, and then I was alone in the mushroom house. I turned slowly, taking in its beauty before recalling it had been a long time since I’d last eaten.
Inside the table I found dried meat and fruit along with water and what I thought might be a jug of wine. I put it aside, thinking I might share a glass with Raven when he returned. But weariness overwhelmed me. As soon as I ate, I stretched out on the soft furs, and the gentle lullabies of the crickets soothed me to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
My first hintof consciousness was warmth, but I knew something else had woken me. I hung on to those blissful moments, huddled down in a bed as soft as feathers. The aches and pains of travel had faded, leaving only a comfortable soreness. I nestled down further into the furs, pleased that a single nightmare hadn’t plagued my sleep. When I opened my eyes pales lights danced around me and the bulk of the Raven hunched over the table, eating strips of dried meat, and watching me.
Discomfort crept over me, but when I met his heated gaze he looked away, as though he did not wish to be caught staring. Blinking sleep out of my eyes, I sat up, pulling one of the furs snug around me. Suddenly the circular mushroom hut seemed smaller than before. Although the blankets surrounded the low-lying table, it seemed intimate, as if the Raven had stepped into my bedroom and watched me sleep.
I broke the silence. “What time is it?”
“Just after midnight,” he shrugged off his cloak of feathers, leaving his chest bare. Sometime between his leaving and returning, he’d bathed, and the scent of moss and pine hovered in the air.
Scars trailed down one side of his body and I imagined more were on his back. Scars from what? Battle? Curiosity won over my desire to hold my tongue. “Where were you?”
His face went tight with distaste. “I had business to attend to. Debts to pay.”
“Do debts always require bloodshed?” I leaned back, but the little sleep I’d had left me wide awake.
“Here?” A sneer came to his lips. “Yes.” He ripped into another piece of dried meat, white teeth flashing.
“Who are you, truthfully?” I dared ask.
“First silence, then questions?” Mischief danced across his face, half-hidden in the low light.
“Since we are traveling together, yes, you might as well tell me. After all, it was you who seemed peeved by my silence.”
“Ah.” He cocked his head at me and a dangerous glimmer came his eyes. He pointed a wedge of cheese at me. “I propose a game, a question asked for each question answered.”
A fluttering began in the bottom of my stomach. I lifted my chin. “What if I don’t want to answer your questions?”
His lips tugged upward into an impish smile. “I’ll trade you, answer for answer. When you don’t want to answer any more. . .” He shrugged.
“It’s not really a game then,” I told him. “Just a trade. In a game there are winners and losers.”
“Should we play for a prize, Lady Sasha?”
I paused. The way he spoke my name sent shivers down my spine, and I could only guess at what he might demand if he won. But what would I ask of him if I won? My gaze flickered to his lips and my cheeks flushed hot. I enjoyed a good flirtation. It kept my spirits high and gave me an odd surge of confidence, knowing I could tempt a man with not only my beauty but the wit of my tongue. Yet such thoughts seemed wrong, here. Flirtatious thoughts belonged at court, or during a dance, or teatime in the gardens of the lords and ladies of the kingdom. Here? In the wildwood? I sensed the rules were different.
Flushing, I dropped his gaze, though kept my head held high. “A trade it is.”
He dipped his head. “As a lady, you should go first.”
Twisting my fingers together in my lap, I considered my question. Raven was shrewd, and if I asked vague questions, he would answer with equal vagueness.
