AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“As far as I can tell, you don’t have any infection. After two days, the likelihood of your wounds festering drops dramatically. We are in the clear. I need you to rest so we can leave as soon as possible. Not just for the princess, but staying in one place for too long increases our chances of Jaren finding us again,” she tells me.
Two days. Two days? I’ve been asleep for two days?
“I don’t want to put these people in danger. Shiren and John have been kind to us, keeping us off the books and in the farthest room. I’m trying to procure a horse so you can ride the rest of the way to Thenstra. It’s only about a day’s ride from here. With a horse I think we can make it one piece without to much risk of running into trouble.”
As she talks I can’t help but stare at her. I understand what she’s saying, but— the way her mouth moves to form each word, her hair swaying as she takes a step, her features shifting with her thoughts.
She’s so beautiful. I don’t know why I haven’t told her yet.
Before I have a conscious desire to do so, my thumb brushes her jaw, the final yellowing of her bruise there fading away. In the same motion I trace my fingers over a long but superficial cut down the side of her neck. My voice may not work, but it looks as if my hands do. She stops talking when she feels my hand skim across her face, swallowing whatever words were about to come next. I find her hand, threading my fingers through her own.
For the first time in ages, I don’t feel burdened with the weight of my fallen friend and all the things he was supposed to be. I don’t feel that I have to be all of those things for him anymore. His memory can live on through everyone’s joy, living in a way that he would want us to, so we could be happy. That is how we honor him.
Maybe I can finally just be Roan Montgomery. Maybe I can go home and see my family, and help my brother and sisters take over the run and trade of Port Riga, like was planned before Evander died.
My inhibitions seem to have left alongside with my resolve to be Captain Montgomery, betrothed to Princess Adalena, soon-to-be king consort of Felshan. My eyes lock with Ari’s, and more than anything in this moment I want to be next to her, touching her, running my fingers through her soft hair, pulling her face to reach my own.
She looks at me, her gaze shifting to my mouth, and back up to meet my eyes. My rogue arm knows exactly what I want it to do before I think it, and I don’t try and stop myself as I untangle my fingers from her own, sliding up her arm before gripping her tightly and pulling her down to me.
Up until now, part of me thought that maybe I was simply dreaming. But feeling her underneath my hand, feeling her warm, soft skin, the realness brings my mind into sharp focus.
Half of me is screaming that I will ruin everything, I will hurt people I love if I let myself kiss her again. But I don’t care. It feels like I was meant to be here, this single moment in time that was meant to change everything. My body may be weak and in pain, but I’ve never felt so strong and alive. I don’t know what is happening to me, but I like it. I want more of it.
Gone is Captain Montgomery, and in his place is a man who desperately wants to love and to be loved. To live a life of his choosing. To feel the lips of the thief who threw him on his back, the girl who busted his lip at the stables, and the woman who saved his life from the mudslide that was ready to swallow him whole.
My sentiment from a few days ago flows through me again. Lena and I do not love each other. No part of me wants Lena to hurt. But I’m not sure she wants to be tied to me either. I will get her home safely, of that I’m certain. But after that, my future feels unsure, unknown, and unplanned.
Her eyes search earnestly through my own as she comes in closer.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she whispers, her breath mingling with my own.
“I would feel any amount of pain if meant being close to you.” The words are out before I even realize I’ve finally put words together. My fingers thread behind her neck and through her hair as she pauses just above me, an arm on either side of my shoulders. We stare at each other, the silence deafening as we both consider the words neither of us has spoken, and the future that has yet to be written.
A knock at the door sounds through the small space. Ari instantly sits back up, her arms in her lap, a pinkness rising to her cheeks.
“Sorry to bother you,” Shiren says from behind the door. “May I come in?”
“Yes, of course.” Ari stands to open the door, and my shoulders sag against the bed.
“Hello,” she greets us. “Dinner is almost ready. Roasted venison, root vegetables, and fresh bread. I wasn’t sure if Roan was awake and wanted—” her eyes scan the room before landing on me, her questioned answered. “I will bring some up right away,” she finishes, the door closing quietly behind her.
“Help me sit up,” I say, holding up my hand.
Ari grasps it with her own and slowly helps me rise as she says, “Take it easy. You’ve been down for a while. Your body will need some time to adjust.” And of course, she was right. My vision swirls, black dots poking around the edges as a brief wave of nausea rolls through me. “Take deep breaths, in and out, in and out.” She copies the motion with her breathing, the air swooshing past me with every exhale, and I try to follow her rhythm.
We scarf down our food, unashamed of any ill manners in the process. “I’m going to go find Shiren. She’s helping me finalize our plans to leave tomorrow. Get some rest while I’m gone, and stop trying to escape your bed.” A coy smile tugs at the corners of her lips. She leans down, placing a unexpected kiss to my cheek.
I can’t help but stare after her as she walks away.
37
Ari
“Thereisaway,”Shiren tells me.
John, the innkeeper, looks up at her words. “Stop. You’re going to get these people killed, girl.” A look passes between them, a silent conversation that I’m not privy to. We stand around the center counter in the kitchen as we talk, a few smudges of flour now speckling across my pants, courtesy of leaning in a little too close to the structure.
“You’ve heard their story, John. At least this will give them a chance,” the girl replies. I shared what I could, what truths were mine to share at least. Enough to please Marg’s request, and help this maid and innkeeper see the direness of our situation. Anything to prod them to assist us into Thenstra, the last block in our way of the princess.
