AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Don’t believe her. The sly fox tricked him by offering him a ride across a wide river on his tail, then on his back, and finally on his nose, where the fox ended up flipping him into his mouth and eating him whole.”
“Ah.” He nodded sagely, then pointed at me. “See. Didn’t I tell you it was possible to outthink anyone, even if they were faster than you?”
“No.” Melaina sniffed acerbically. “The moral of the story is to never trust the sly foxes of the world.”
“Because they’ll outwit you at your own game,” Indigo shot back with a smirk before he glanced between the two of us. “Are there a lot of stories like this on Earth? That one was absolutely fascinating.”
“Oh, hundreds,” Melaina answered. “Thousands. Quilla…” She snapped her fingers at me. “Tell him your favorite fantasy about the princess, Butterworth, or whatever her idiot name was, and her handsome lover, Westbrook.”
“Buttercup,” I said dryly. “Her name was Buttercup. And his name was Westley.”
“Whatever. Just tell him that one.” Glancing toward Indigo, she added, “This was always her favorite.”
“Was it?” He focused on me so intently, my insides warmed about ten degrees.
And so, I was forced to recount the story of the princess who was kidnapped by the Sicilian, the giant, and the master swordsman, only to be saved by her one true love so they could live happily ever after, riding off into the sunset together.
Indigo grinned knowingly as I finished. “So you do believe in true love, after all? Interesting.”
“It was a fairy tale,” I muttered lamely. “And I was a kid. Besides, my favorite parts were the fight scenes and stupid humor. Not the tacky romance.”
Lifting his eyebrows, because he had to be able to feel the lie bleeding off me, he placed a hand against his chest and said, “My lady, but I am a great warrior who’s superb at fighting and chock-full of stupid humor.”
“No,” Melaina countered. “You’re just chock-full of stupid.”
He frowned her way, only to turn back to me and lean closer, whispering, “I bet you find me humorous, don’t you? I mean, who else would try to convince you a soldier’s horse should be called a knight mare?”
I shook my head, unable to answer. Because, yeah, there was something slightly entertaining about him. And it was becoming addictive.
Grinning at me, as if he knew I didn’t want to admit such a thing aloud and appear weak and soft, he leaned away again and began to hum under his breath, that same upbeat tune he always hummed.
He was still lightly humming “Singin’ in the Rain” when he set up his bedroll that night, right next to mine again, and crawled under his covers to lie beside me, facing me with a dreamy smile.
Feeling stiff and uncomfortable because he was there, because I liked him there, and I didn’t want him to know just how much I wanted to roll toward him and burrow into his warmth, to clutch a fistful of his tunic and press my face against his warm heartbeat or feel his strong arms wrap around me, I swallowed thickly and gazed up at the stars overhead.
Remembering how wishing upon stars was a custom on Earth to promote hope in the heart, I curled my hands into tight balls until my fingernails bit into my palms and I wished for a life where it would be okay to give in to kindness and compassion. Where I could show Indigo just how much I did want all the things he was promising.
Next to me, he whispered, “Hey, Quilla.”
I closed my eyes, blocking out the stars and trying to block out the hope. “What?”
“Guess what?”
I sighed, making it sound like I was annoyed by his constant pestering while in all truth, I loved that hint of cheer and life and all things good in his voice.
He laughed lightly as if he’d figured out my charade, and it amused him.
“What?” I finally grumbled.
“You didn’t threaten to stab me all day today,” he answered, his hushed tone full of glee.
I didn’t have anything to say to that.
He shifted closer. “It was a good day.”
I breathed in a deep breath.
Yes. Yes, it had been.
