“You had a husband,” Rowan said. There was a slight tremble in his hand.
Did Rowan know this guy? He had shared a little about his past, but I knew nothing apart from him living on the streets.
Axel nodded. “We’re still together. Patience of a saint, that one. How Wren puts up with me, I’ll never know.” He laughed and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear where it’d fallen forward. “I take it we’ve met before, lad?”
Rowan dropped his gaze. Said nothing.
Axel observed him for several beats before there was a flicker of recognition. “That red hair. Quite unique. I met a boy once with that shade.”
Rowan’s hand stopped trembling. He’d gone completely still.
“Such a sad little thing, starvin’ on the street and wearing nothin’ but a ratty tunic twice as big as he was,” Axel continued. “Wren and I found him in an alley, close to death. We brought him in from the cold, bathed him, and gave him a warm meal. Poor lad ate so fast he made himself sick. Broke my heart, it did. He even fell asleep that night with a piece of bread clutched in his little fist.”
Rowan’s eyes had a faraway look in them.
“He stayed with us for several nights. Then one mornin’, he was gone. He took a bag of our peppered almonds and left behind a button from his shirt as though it were a bit of coin. Damn if I didn’t treasure that button. It was all he had.” Axel’s gaze didn’t leave Rowan. “I hope wherever that lad is now, he’s found a good home and someone who’ll care for him.”
I blinked back tears.
Rowan cleared his throat and lifted his head. He’d thrown up a wall, hiding whatever emotion that’d stirred. “That boy died long ago. He was too frail to survive in this world.”
Pain reflected in Axel’s eyes before he grabbed three bags and offered them to Rowan. “Then take these in his place. They were his favorite.”
***
The noise of the festival was muted from our perch on the rooftop. The beating of drums and musical flutter of flutes sounded in the distance, but the world was much quieter so high up.
People passed far below us, their forms lit by the glow of the lanterns lining the streets. Little wisps of color burst into the air from the performer on stage in the center plaza. A magician, by the look of it. Claps followed each trick.
Rowan hadn’t said much since we’d left Axel’s stall. He’d just led me away before shifting me onto his back and jumping up into a nearby tree. With the type of grace and sure-footedness I’d never have, he moved across the branches and then climbed up the side of the nearest building.
“Those smell good.” I nodded to the bags of almonds. He hadn’t eaten any yet. He’d only stared down at them with that faraway look in his eyes.
“Here.” Rowan placed a bag in my lap. “They taste even better.”
“Thanks.” The bag crinkled as I worked it open and popped an almond into my mouth. Spices burst across my tongue, the explosion of bold flavor a shock to my taste buds. Between mild and fire-breathing level of spice, it sat somewhere in the middle. Not too spicy but enough to feel the burning tingle in the back of my throat. “Holy crap.”
“Good, right?”
“Better than good. Don’t judge me if I eat this entire bag.” I ate another, feeling more at ease when he started eating some too. “So. You like spicy food. I’ll keep that in mind for meals going forward.”
“You say that like you expect me to be around.”
“What do you mean?” I turned more toward him. “I thought that was the plan.”
The moon and stars shone brightly in the night sky, but his face remained shadowed. He’d positioned his hood higher up, trying to hide. From the world.
From me.
“I never stay anywhere for long,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be.”
“What is ‘this’ exactly, Rowan? Because this back and forth is confusing as hell. You’re the one who tracked me down and insisted on traveling with me to Exalos. You said you wanted to woo me.”
He snorted. “Damn. I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yep. Sure did. No take backs.” I ate another handful of almonds. The roasted pepperiness of them was an addiction waiting to happen. “The romantic outing and spicy nuts are a good start to that wooing.”
“Romantic outing?”
