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I look at him from across the cave, admiring his facial structure as he ponders what to add to our fairytale. As we've gotten closer, I’ve noticed a few things about him in the last few days. For example, his jawline is so chiseled it could cut something in half. His high cheekbones accentuate his perfectly straight nose, and his eyes swim with amber and gold, making me swoon when he looks at me when we’re close.
I’ve caught the thoughts popping up more in my mind. Not just about his looks but his personality. He has a knack for making me laugh, even with short-winded comments. He’s been incredibly caring and attentive regarding ensuring I eat and that my leg is feeling better. He even applies the calendula ointment we made to my leg every day. Aside from falling asleep next to him, that’s my favorite part of every day, when he touches me.
I’ve tried to talk myself out of it, the feelings, I mean. I remember the moment when I couldn’t deny them anymore. He had come back to the cave with a wild boar slung over his shoulder, and something about how he smiled at me when he set it down set my heart on fire. It was like he was happy he could provide for me. At least, that’s what I tell myself it is.
As far as confessing my feelings, I know that’s a bad idea, and I can’t risk making our relationship awkward when I still need his knowledge of survival to make it back home alive. Although there is a part of me that tells myself I see the same feelings in his eyes when he looks at me.
“What if an evil King sacrifices himself for the kingdom in a last attempt to redeem himself?” Hurian says, looking at me with a proud grin.
“Hmmm….” I cross my arms and smile back slyly. “But what would motivate him to do that?”
“Maybe he’s in love?”
My chest constricts, and I gulp. My mind begins fluttering with thoughts of him feeling that way toward me. Is this his way of telling me? No, of course not. I need to keep my head on straight and not let my infatuation get the best of me.
“With a good witch who needs him to be pure so they can be together?” I add.
“Exactly.”
We laugh, and I wonder again why he came to Burning Sun and how he got there. I look at him and notice he’s looking into the woods, probably trying to assess if there’s danger in our vicinity. Another thing I admire about him is his ability to sense a threat to us from a mile away. I feel safer with him in the middle of nowhere than I did at the compound, which is saying something, given Burning Sun's security.
He looks at me and grins as he catches me gazing at him. I shyly look away, brush my hair behind my ear and curl my knees to my chest.
“What did you do for fun before you came to the clan?” I ask, hoping my lead-in question doesn’t make him buck.
“Mostly, I would stay out in nature.”
“Is that how you found the clan, then?” I freeze, hoping he’ll answer.
“No, but it is how I clear my head.” He stands and puts his hands on his hips, still looking out into the forest. “We should leave.”
“Now?”
“Yes. We should move while we still have light.”
“Oh, okay.” I stand up and look at him as he gathers our things and packs them into the bags.
Damn.Now I’m sure that he’s skirting the subject on purpose. I’m also surprised he doesn’t want to talk about it so much that he’s willing to pack everything up and leave to run away.
I grab the bag holding my herbs and look down at my leg. My wound is healing nicely, and it hurts much less when I put weight on it. I look at Hurian’s and see his has also closed up well. We lock eyes, and I smile at him slightly, only to be returned with a stoic nod from him.
Leaving the cave, I look over my shoulder at the sanctuary. It’s odd; part of me feels bad leaving, like a piece of me will permanently be cemented in that cave. I turn away and look into the forest, wondering where we’ll decide to lay down our stakes next.
While looking back at the cave, a branch catches my foot, and I fall forward. As I reach my hands out to catch myself on the ground, Hurian catches me and stands me up. I gasp and recover from the shock while feeling his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
Moments pass, and I look up at him and catch him grinning at me.
“Thanks,” I say, still out of breath.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he chuckles.
He slowly releases his arms from my waist, and we continue walking. At first, we remain silent, and thoughts race through my head. Why didn’t he let go sooner, why wouldn’t he answer me about the clan, and why is every thought running through my mind about him?
“Hope we can find another cave somewhere,” he remarks.
“Yeah, or a house. Either of those would be ideal.”
“Hey,” he says, grabbing my arm gently.
