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She wasn’t at all offended.
Wrapping the towel around herself, she tucked it in tight, then stepped from the small shower. Of course, Stone was so big he pretty much filled the space with little left over for her. Everything in the cottage was undersized, since the original owner had been a troll. Improvements had been made later to expand the ceiling height. The roof had even been raised two feet. But the proportions were still on the small side.
“Sorry. I need to dry my hair.”
But he stared at her for a long moment as though caught. “You’re beautiful, Aralynn, though sometimes I swear your eyes turn violet then shift back.”
She had to think fast. “I have fae blood and some of my people have violet eyes.”
He nodded as though this made sense. She then gestured with quick flips of her hands for him to retreat.
He got the message and backed toward the doorway. As tall as he was, he clunked his head on the upper frame.
He chuckled as he ducked, then moved the rest of the way into her combination living room-bedroom.
She pulled out her hair dryer and went to work. It was never an easy thing to deal with her mass of red hair. “I’ll be a while. There’s beer in the fridge.”
“That sounds great. Thanks.”
She was relieved he disappeared toward the front of the small cottage. She took the opportunity to close the door again. Her fingers shook. She felt as though she was dancing around a bonfire, getting closer and closer to the flames. At some point, she was going to get burned. Badly.
Once her hair was dry, she pulled the upper half back and secured it with a woven Guardsman clasp. All the Guardsmen had long hair, usually very thick, so the clasps were made for them. Given the mass of her hair, the clasp fit perfectly.
Dressed at last in a fresh set of battle leathers, including another sleeveless green vest, she left the bathroom. Stone wasn’t near the bed, thank goodness.
She hadn’t exactly figured out what to do about his suggestion. They weren’t all that different in basic philosophies. Each believed in self-sacrifice and doing what they could to end Margetta’s assault on the Nine Realms.
But did that mean they had to bond? And if they did form what she knew to be a powerful blood rose bond, would it really make a difference? Or would coming together in that way only complicate her situation even more?
Before she could give Stone an answer, however, he had to know the truth. The moment had come and part of her was relieved that she would finally be telling him that the queen and Aralynn were one in the same. Even so, her heart sank about two feet into the earth.
Of course, she strongly suspected this would end any interest he had in the bond.
But so be it.
“Stone?” She could feel a draught of cool air coming from the direction of the front door.
“I’m over here.” He had the front door open and was standing in the doorway. “I was just looking at the moon through the beech trees. I like your cottage.”
“I do, too.”
She drew up behind him and rose up on tip-toes to peer over his shoulder. The front doorway was a few inches over seven feet, though fairly narrow so he pretty much filled the space. He leaned his shoulder against the side frame and lifted his bottle of beer to his lips.
He took a deep swig, then said, “I checked in with Harris. The Invictus dead at Charborne have been taken care of and the villagers are returning to their homes and farms. I’ve put the mayor in for a commendation. Even Elias’s friend has been found. He’d been hiding out with one of the local farmers.”
“That’s amazing, on every front. And the Com Center? Is Tannisford quiet?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, you don’t sound pleased.”
He turned toward her and the moment his gaze touched hers, desire flowed like a fast-moving river. She had it bad for the Mastyr of Tannisford.
The left side of his lips curved. “You like me, don’t you?”
“More than I should, given that we have a war on.”
He caught her arm suddenly with his free hand, his eyes glittering. “Bond with me. I know it’s the right thing to do.”
