Page 74 of The Blade in the Ashes
I straightened with a frown, sending a glare at his back. “I am an elite operative to be used at the king’s discretion.”
Finally, he twisted to look at me, if only to send me a withering glance. “And the prior king’s discretion typically required what of you?”
I bit down on my lip, refusing to answer his question and prove his assessment of my occupation correct. He turned away when I stuck my tongue out at him.
I was just thinking through my next stream of questions when my vision locked onto the coat sleeve of his jacket.
For a moment, the world started to spin so intensely that I almost lost my balance.
“Oh. My.Gods.” My shrill scream cut through the air.
Another gag worked through me, sending me lurching forward and gasping for air. Nikolai turned at the sound, eyes wide and scanning the area behind me. He was at my side in an instant, oblivious to the way I desperately leaned away from him.
“What? What is it?”
“There!” I pointed frantically at the elbow of his coat where a pinkish splotch offleshlingered on the pristine fabric. “You have some on you!”
A myriad of emotions flashed on his features. Confusion, then irritation, then something far too close to amusement as he plucked the bit of viscera off himself and casually tossed it aside.
“What wasthat?”I squealed, staring after it.
He looked down at the little piece of flesh, tilting his head as he considered it. “Could have been some brain matter, or a bit of small intestine, I suppose.”
I gagged again, the sounds of my dry wretches filling the air. Nikolai threw his head back to stare at the sky, taking three deep breaths in.
“Must you continue making that noise?” Annoyance rippled in his tone.
“Oh, I’m sorry, am I bothering you from enjoying this otherwise oh so pleasant day?”
Despite himself, his lips quirked into the tiniest bit of a genuine smile before he turned away to hide it from me. He trotted ahead, not waiting for me to regain my sanity and follow after him. We rode in silence for a bit, our horses working up a large mountainous ridge.
“The library should be just at the top of the hill here,” he told me. His pace slowed, and he allowed me to reach his side, glancing over at me with eyes that narrowed inquisitively. “Tell me, did you read much as a girl?”
I felt a blush rising along the back of my neck.
He wanted to know if I liked to read. He wanted to know what I enjoyed doing because he was keeping a growing list of facts about me. He wanted to know facts about me because he wanted to knowme.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d opened the doors to myself wide enough to allow someone to see the true pieces of who I was, but here was Nikolai, asking me to show them to him.
And even though I should have felt the overwhelming urge to remind him that we were strictly business associates and nothing more, I didn’t.
Because when he looked at me like that, with that genuine curiosity lighting up the gentle smile across his full lips, I forgot all about the mess we had just been in. I forgot about the blood lining my clothing and the mission we were here to accomplish. I forgot about all the reasons I shouldn’t let him get close to me, and I instead found myself wanting to give him this small fact to add to his list.
His eyes traced over my cheeks, smile widening when he realized I could have magically disguised my blush, but I didn’t. I let him see the pink tint color my cheeks.
Just as I was about to explain to him that I’d absolutely abhorred reading and formal education and much preferred activities that kept my hands busy, though, a thick booming sounded ahead of us.
Steady.
Rhythmic.
A routine pounding as if the Gods were stamping down their feet onto the Mortal Realm.
“Those are war drums,” I muttered to myself, frowning as I tried to piece together why war drums would sound in such a remote location.
All at once, realization crashed down on me. Those weren’t the drums ofmykingdom anymore, because this wasn’t Athenia anymore. This was the land that Hyrax had claimed as his own, and those werehissoldiers pounding down on the leather-coated snares.
Nikolai knew me well enough to know what I would do before I even moved.
