Page 151 of Ashborne: Defiance

I squawked, taken off guard—but instead of snarling at me, he shushed me, barely above hearing, and turned, flattening himself against the wall, before leaning slowly out to look into the aisle.

“Fucking, Gil? Seriously?” he muttered, the tension leaching from every line of his poised stance. He shook his head and stepped out into the aisle. “You thought I wouldn’t sense you coming? You thought you could distract me with a pretty woman and I’d just not notice you?”

He called me pretty.

“I’m not the one naked in a stable. That’s God’s conviction you’re feeling, brother,” Gil called down the aisle.

There was a splutter of laughter from somewhere else in the wing, and I buried my face in my hands.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m always going to know you’re there?”

“I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t lost your knack. Poor Grace, put it away, Voski.”

Voski rolled his eyes, but my chest went tight as he glanced sideways at me.

He was beautiful. I’d been stunned by the sight of him when I stepped into the doorway. My mind slipped back to that clearing in Fyrehold where I’d first seen him unclothed and washing himself. But I’d been so distracted by his dangles then, I hadn’t fully appreciated his form.

For the moments I’d stood staring here, when he was unaware of me, I’d watched avidly as he poured water over his body and scrubbed down. Every muscle in his body trimmed and flexed under his slick, shining skin, pebbled with goosebumps from the cool water. The broad stretch of his shoulders punched and rolled as he moved. The flex and ripple when he dried himself.

Then he’d seen me, and I froze.

“Poor Grace. Only a Flameborne for two days and you’re already stealing her innocence. What would her mother think?!”

Voski looked down at himself and spluttered. My cheeks went hot when his dark gaze snapped to me, eyes wide behind those wet strands of hair that fell to brush his high cheekbones.

I’d startled him. Then he’d sensed Gil and forgotten all he was wearing was a towel.

“Oh, I’m not—that is, I wasn’t… it’s not—”

Gil laughed. Voski growled a curse at him. Far, far too late, I averted my eyes, dropping my gaze to the straw around my feet, my cheeks blazing as Gil continued to chortle and tease and Voski hissed curses at him.

“I’ll go,” I breathed and started for the door, making a wide berth around Voski.

I was embarrassed, so I don’t know why my heart sank when Voski watched me leave without attempting to stop me. But I didn’t have time to think about it. I babbled apologies again, and trotted down the aisle, not even sure where I was going.

But I hadn’t even made it to the doors before Gil offered a parting shot at Voski, then caught me up.

“That was fantastic, Grace!” he said, falling in step with me, our boots echoing on the stone aisle. “He didn’t know you were there, yet did you see how he sensed me?”

“Yes, yes,” I muttered, chewing my lip.

“He was completely unnerved. I’ve known him for years, and I’ve never seen him startled by someone’s appearance before. You have to show me how you do that!”

I shook my head. “It’s nothing. I’m sure if you’d come from my stable you would have too. It’s so close. He just didn’t hear my feet—”

“Don’t be modest, Grace.” Gil caught my arm and pulled me to a stop and I tensed. He let me go immediately, hands up. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just want you to see that I’m serious. This is a good thing, Grace. I assure you.”

“I wasn’t frightened. I just don’t want to anger him.”

“He wasn’t angry. He was curious. He didn’t expect you to be able—”

“It’s only because he had to apologize earlier. If I keep doing that, if I help anyone else, he’ll hate me. Gil, I want to train. I want to learn to throw like he does.” I want him to look at me with the heat of want in his eyes, not the heat of anger.

Gil stood over me, frowning deeper with every word I spoke.

“I don’t want to say no, I assure you!” I pleaded. “But he gets so angry, and I really need him to not stand in my way!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Gil had both hands up again, and his head tilted like he wasn’t sure what he’d heard. “What do you mean, stand in your way?”