The man eyed her for a moment, his dark brows furrowed, creating a deep crease between them.
“Still reeling from the wound on your head from your fall?” She bit her lip to keep from smiling. He had appeared so intimidating at first, and yet how easily he fell. Of course, she’d stitched him up last night to the best of her abilities while he remained unconscious. She couldn’t help herself.
When he said nothing, she let out a dramatic breath. “Are you hungry, then?”
“Do you think I'm daft?” he asked, his voice lifting at the end like he was on the verge of laughter. “You really believe I’d take food from you, Enchantress? With all these plants, how am I to be sure you haven’t poisoned it?”
“I suppose you can’t be certain.” Heat rose to her cheeks. The thought of poisoning him hadn’t even crossed her mind, but now that he’d mentioned it, it didn’t sound like such a bad idea. She’d feed him only a little nightshade to make him fall asleep. Then she’d return him to the woods. Dragging his body would certainly take time she couldn’t afford… She bit her lip.
He scoffed, shaking his head in laughter. “Not hungry.”
She didn’t believe him. Tallulah rolled her eyes as she headed toward the basket she left on the sofa.
“Apples, dried deer jerky, and a canteen of water,” she said, placing the basket at the man’s feet. “I will unshackle one of your hands if you can swear all you’ll use it for is to eat.”
It was a risk; this she understood. But she could use her magick if she needed it. He flinched as she got closer. His eyes widening as her hands pulled the key from her pocket. She took his silence as an agreement, nodding to him just once before rounding behind him to unshackle one of his hands. She backed away, keeping her eyes on him.
He didn’t move.
She waited, her foot tapping on the stone floor, as she watched him. Surely, he was hungry. And if not,surely,he’d try to attack her. So she stayed pinned to the greenhouse wall, her hands ready to call upon the ivy if she needed it.
What felt like an eternity later, the hunter bent forward, picking up the basket and placing it on his lap. The crunch of an apple made Tallulah breathe out with a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure why she cared so much that he was fed, but it didn’t sit right on her conscience to deny him this.
Once he’d eaten the apple to its core, the hunter turned his head to peer at her over his shoulder.
“Thank you,” he whispered before turning back to eat what was left of the basket.
* * *
Evren finishedevery bit of food the Enchantress left him, forgoing any worry about it being poisoned. If it was, he’d know his fate eventually. Besides, the way his body revolted against the lack of ale was enough to kill him. The food was a momentary distraction, so he didn’t care if it she’d poisoned it.
Once finished, he placed the basket back down and she unshackled his other hand to guide him to an area where he could relieve himself. She kept her hands up, her eyes locked on him like a prisoner. It was humiliating.
He made his way back to the workbench, sitting down as she shackled his hands again.
“I’ll check on you again come nightfall,” the Enchantress said.
“What’s your name?” he asked, immediately regretting it. The last thing he should do was get familiar with this Enchantress. But if he got in her good graces, he could somehow get back out of these shackles. Could earn her trust and break free.
She paused in front of him and tucked the basket into her side. Her blue eyes narrowed beneath furrowed, dark brows before her features softened.
“Tallulah Hollow,” she said. “And yours, hunter?” She smiled, quick and small, before she must’ve realized she’d done so. Her face shifted again, back to something more stoic. But he didn’t miss the minor change.
“Evren,” he said. His hands flexed, the shackles irritating against his skin, and he shifted on the workbench, only now noticing she didn’t rebind him as tightly with the ivy. “Evren Fletcher.”
“Evren,” she repeated quietly. She turned then and headed for the door; the only time since she arrived that she placed her back to him.
This was his chance.
He pushed past the ache in his leg and the swirling of his head and, in an instant, sprung forward from the ground, snapping the ivy in two. Before Tallulah had any clue of what was happening, he placed his shackled hands over her head and pressed tightly against her throat, caging her in front of him against his chest.
She shrieked before the basket hit the ground, and her nails raked against the skin of his forearms.
“Please,” she gasped. Scratches lined his arms, the sting deep and sharp. Something caught the corner of his eye and a moment later, the ivy shifted.
No, the ivy lining the wallsleapedforward, encasing him and the Enchantress.
Evren fell to the ground, and the Enchantress slipped free from his grip. He was lost in a sea of green, buried by the foliage. He grappled to get to his feet, to uncover himself. He ripped the last of the vines covering his face. The Enchantress stood, her face reddened, and her hair a mess of black waves. Her blue eyes striking and cold.
