He sat on the edge of the bed, and there was a dipping motion in my chest at the first sight of him, like always happened. I imagined it always would, no matter what I knew about him.
At least, he’d found a shirt.
And had bathed somewhere, because his hair was damp, curling against his temples and ears.
Dressed in all-black, he cut an imposing, striking figure, and I no longer saw his attire that of the uniform of a guard. I saw the Dark One. I glanced down at the sleeve of the dark tunic I wore and then to my curled leg, where I expected to see the black breeches. Instead, I saw a threaded quilt draped over my legs. Unsettled, I lifted my gaze to his.
He didn’t say anything. Neither did I. Not for a long time. His fingers remained on my throat, above the mark. After what felt like an eternity, he removed his hand and asked, “How are you feeling?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. A giggle burst free.
His head cocked to the side as a half-grin appeared. “What?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me if I’m okay when I stabbed you in the heart.”
“Do you think you should be asking me that question?”
Yes? No? Maybe?
The grin deepened. “I’m relieved to hear that you care. I’m perfectly fine.”
“I don’t care,” I muttered, sitting up.
“Lies,” he murmured.
He was right, of course, because without realizing what I was doing, I reached out with my senses to see if he was in physical pain. He wasn’t. What I’d done earlier had worn off. I knew this because I felt the anguish that always brewed just below the surface. There was something else there, though. I’d felt it before. Confusion or conflict.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m fine.” Pulling my gift back, I looked down at the quilt. It was a faint yellow and old. I wondered who it belonged to.
“Kieran said you dozed off in the bath.”
“Did he tell you that he came into the bathing chamber?”
“Yes.”
Surprised, my gaze shot to his.
“I trust Kieran,” he said. “You’ve been asleep for several hours.”
“Is that not normal?”
“It’s not abnormal. I guess I’m…” He frowned as if something had just occurred to him. “I guess I’m feeling guilty for biting you.”
“You guess?” My brows lifted.
He appeared to mull that over and then nodded. “I believe so.”
“You should feel guilt!”
“Even though you stabbed me and left me to die?”
I snapped my mouth shut as my stomach churned with nausea. “You didn’t die. Obviously.”
“Obviously.” There was a teasing glint to his eyes. “I was barely winded.”
“Congratulations,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
He chuckled.
Annoyed, I shoved the quilt off my legs and scooted to the other side of the bed. “Why are you here? To take me back to the cell?”
“I should. If anyone other than Kieran knew you had stabbed me, I would be expected to.”
I stood. “Then why don’t you?”
“I don’t want to.”
I stared at him, hands opening and closing at my sides while he remained seated on the bed. “So, what now? How is this going to work, Your Highness?” Satisfaction surged when I caught the way his jaw tightened. “You’ll keep me locked up in a room until you’re ready for us to leave?”
“Do you not like this room?”
“It’s far better than a dirty cell, but it’s still a prison. A cage, no matter how nice the accommodations are.”
He was quiet for a moment. “You would know, wouldn’t you? After all, you’ve been imprisoned since you were a child. Caged and veiled.”
There was no denying that. I’d been kept in both comfortable cages and bare ones. The reasons were different, but the end result was the same. Folding my arms, I looked at the small window, to the night sky beyond.
“I came here to escort you to dinner.”
“Escort me to dinner?” Disbelief widened my eyes as I focused on him once more.
“I feel like there’s an echo in this room, but yes, I imagine you’re hungry,” he said, and my stomach took that exact moment to confirm that was true. “And we’ll discuss what will happen next when we have some food in our stomachs.”
“No.”
His brows lifted. “No?”
I knew I was being difficult over something not worth it. Just like I had been with Kieran. But I was not going to be at anyone’s beck and call. I wasn’t the Maiden any longer. And things were not okay between us just because we had a temporary loss of rationale in the woods. He’d betrayed me. I’d tried to kill him. He still planned to use me to free his brother. We were enemies, no matter the truths.