Page 30 of Saved By the Headless Horseman
He nods, confused.
“The one from up north, with the yellowing teeth and that always smelled like creek water?”
I can’t help but laugh.
“The very one.God, she was awful.No child ever gave her as much grief as you did.”
Krane shrugs.
“I was ten.What ten-year-old wants to spend his summer afternoons in a dusty study reading over spelling books?”
“You were a terrible student."Color warms my cheeks.“But I loved when you would attend lessons.”
“Because it made you look even more perfect than normal?”
I smack at his shoulder, and his eyes go to the feather-light touch.
“No.It was nice not to be alone with her.”
His eyes flicker with awareness.
“Her lessons were the first time you ever spoke to me.”
I nod, licking along my bottom lip.
“I remember.”
The memories come rushing back.Madam Bovery had been cruel to me over my poor penmanship.Krane had been dismissed halfway through the lesson, only to discover me crying in my father’s field later.He had made me laugh and told me that Madam Bovery was a miserable old woman who was only a tutor so that she could torment children.Krane had sat beside me until my mother called me in for dinner.
I had forgotten all about Madam Bovery’s biting critique by the next day.Krane had not.Instead, he had found a toad from the manor’s pond and hid it under her stack of lessons.
“I can still hear her screams after discovering the poor, slimy creature,” I say.I wrinkle my nose.“Though her forcing you to write‘I will not terrorize Madam Bovery with amphibians ever again.’all day for the next three weeks seemed like an extreme punishment.”
Krane’s eyes turn soft.
“It made you laugh.It was worth it.”
The air between us shifts as we stare at each other—the memories of the past play over and over.Wherever I was, Krane was there too as my friend, my protector, and finally as my lover.Reaching up, I capture his hand in mine.My thumb traces the bumpy skin along the back of his palm.
“I want it to stay like this between us.”
Immediately, the tenderness ices over.His expression turns guarded, but I hold fast.
“Tonight will answer everything.You will see that I never betrayed you—that you can trust me.”
Krane says nothing, but he does give my hand one hard squeeze before pulling away.I reluctantly let him go.I sit back in my chair, taking in the fading light.I must have slept later than I thought, as the sun is already on the other side of the horizon.
“Do you have a plan for tonight?”
Krane huffs, waving a dismissive hand.
“Show up.Scare the earl.Threaten him.Get his confession.”His green flames dance.“Kill him.”
Simple enough, yet foolish.I shake my head.
“It won’t be that easy.He’ll have his father’s guards—more than he had to oversee our wedding.”Krane seems to want to argue, but I push on.“The king may have even sent his own forces.If we want to get close to Bram, then we have to find a way inside.One that won’t send him running at the first hint of danger.”
Krane is quiet for a moment.His mouth twists as if digesting my words.I hold my breath—awaiting his dismissal.Instead, he merely nods, eyes turning sharp.
