She glanced up, wincing. “That bad, huh?”
Ger’s breath hissed out of him so hard that even his heart seemed to deflate under the pressure. He was in no mood for jokes, couldn’t have spared the breath to laugh even if it’d been funny. He raked a hand through his hair, tugging at the roots like the sting might spur his bodily functions into action, kickstart his heart and his lungs. But Adeline just turned and hurried off again, this time to pull a sheet of paper from a drawer, then raced back to the settee and settled on her knees before the low table.
“Could you stand still for a minute? What are youdoing?And again, may I ask, what the fuck?”
“I’m sorry, I know, just—”
She flapped her hand at him, somehow both impatient and apologetic. Ger gaped at her, and to her credit, she did spare him a glance, just long enough to flash him her round, pleading eyes.
“Come sit down,” she coaxed. “I need to be quick, but I promise I’ll explain in a moment.”
Ger spluttered wordlessly, but since she was intent on ignoring him, he could do little more than stare at her—then at the door. How long did they have? Twenty minutes? More? He supposed it depended on his fellow gards’ estimation of his stamina. Which meant that if they returned in under an hour, he’d have a rather annoying point to prove the next time they took to the frigid training yard. Swearing under his breath, Ger finally staggered over to the settee and stripped off his sheath and sword. Adeline was scrawling something on the sheet of paper ashe sank into the couch. His armour clanked at his movements, then again when he dragged his hands over his face.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” he groaned into his palms.
The cushions shifted, Ade finally heaving herself off the floor to settle beside him.
“I know,” she said, slightly breathless. “I’m sorry.”
“No, youreallydon’t know. The last thing we need right now is to spark a jealous rage—”
She pried one of his hands away, unmuffling his voice just so she could interrupt his spiral.
“Kai’s a little more reasonable than that.”
His head snapped up.
“I’m not talking about your bloody Merrow King, Ade.”
“Then who—” A frown flickered before her brows pitched into an arch. “Oh.Oh.There’s someone else?”
He blinked, and the “someone else”grinned at him behind his closed lids; straight black lashes, a plump and curving smile.
Someone else. Yes.
“No,” he said abruptly. Adeline still had that glossy rock in her hands, but she set it down on the side table—then cocked a brow, reading him with singular ease. He’d missed that. Beingseen, the way he always was with Ade. Even if it was a bit inconvenient in that particular moment, she knew when he was lying, always had. Luckily, he had a bit of truth to offer up this time. “Sort of. It’s Avette.”
“Avette?”
“Veryone-sided,” he added quickly, then with a shaky scoff, “Daughters, give mesomecredit.”
Adeline softened and took his hand.
“You get all the credit in the world,” she told him earnestly.
“Well, of course I do, I’m afantastickisser.”
He raised a prompting brow at her silence, and Adeline scrambled to muster up an overenthusiastic nod.
“Oh, yes. Fantastic. It was very nice indeed, thank you.”
Ger snorted. He couldn’t help but think of Jack in that moment, how earnest and offhand he’d been when he called their kissnice. His lips tugged at the memory, but it was Adeline grinning back at him now, and he felt the shape of his own smile change into the one he held for her.Not Jack.It was for the best, he reminded himself.
“You’re not madly in love with me then?” he asked of Adeline.
She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry.”
“You don’t want to run away together and bear me four little blond children?”
