AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bringing the cup to my lips, I swallowed the rest in three gulps, not even savoring it as I should have. With my belly warm and the blessed caffeine coursing through my veins, I regretted nothing.
“Thanks.” I handed back the now-empty mug, wiping at my mouth with my sleeve.
Jude stared at it in awe, the flames’ glow casting shadows beneath his eyes. “You truly do enjoy your coffee, recruit.”
I waved him off with a hand. “It’s the best way to get on my good side. My brother would hand me a cup whenever I was in a foul mood. He claimed it was the only way to tame the beast.” Liam was always one for dramatics.
Jude scoffed. “I feel for your brother. You must have been a fearsome sibling to have.”
“Nah, I was perfect.” I grinned wide, waggling my brows. “He would have been incredibly bored in our small village without me. Always had his nose in a book, that boy. Never would have left his bed if I hadn’t pulled him out of it.”
My smile dipped at the corners. Would I ever see Liam again? I hoped I would, but after Jude’s less-than-inspiring speech, I highly doubted it.
“Well, he is lucky to have such a…lively and captivating sister, then.”
My smile returned. “Captivating, eh?”
Jude’s chin angled down to his lap, but I still caught sight of the twin dimples dotting his cheeks before he quickly wiped them away. His voice lowered as he said, “You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?”
“Always,” I replied, my voice lilting. Bending to my knees, I dropped to his eye level, feeling all sorts of brazen. “But I have a suspicion that’s a quality you very much like. Among…other things.”
This time, I didn’t have the urge to swallow my tongue.
Hells, if we were going to be dead soon, what was the harm in a little flirting? I knew Jude understood the meaning behind my words because he looked anywhere but my lips. When I’d kissed him, I’d just gone for it without thought or hesitation. I could lie and tell myself it had been to catch him unawares and gain the upper hand, but that hadn’t been the entire reason.
I’d thought about that kiss well into the early morning hours.
I was so screwed.
“Don’t make me regret letting you stay, Kiara.” Jude bristled, but I sensed it was a front. There was something different about him today, like he was holding back, trying hard to keep up his walls.
That simply wouldn’t do.
“When I save your ass from the Mist, you won’t be spewing such blasphemous things, commander.”
Jude rolled his eyes, his scars dazzling beneath the moon’s caress. I had the urge to reach out and touch them. They reminded me of my own, of the wounds that would never heal. The difference was that he wore his for the world to see.
“I’ve learned there is much I don’t know of the world. Much that I can’t explain or control, especially after last year…” He trailed off, jerking his head in the direction we would soon head in. “I’ve just always hated the unknown.”
A muscle in his jaw feathered as he took me in, the intensity of his gaze electrifying my every nerve. “The unknown is dangerous, and not being in control can get you killed.”
We certainly weren’t only talking about the Mist.
“I don’t think life was meant to be lived that way, Jude,” I said. “Control is an illusion, something to make us feel grounded and in charge of our destinies.”
My hand landed on Jude’s knee, and his eyes tracked the movement. “Don’t overthink everything. You might be surprised by how much you’d like being out of control. Being alive is chaos, and living in it is half the fun.” I saw his throat bob, a question forming on the tip of his tongue as he stared at where my hand rested.
I wasn’t a complete fool. I’d heard the rumors of what Jude did for Cirian—what Cirianmadehim do—and I suspected it destroyed him. When was the last time he’d done something for himself? When was the last time he’d truly given in to his own desires?
Before Jude could voice his thoughts and likely deny my words, I said, “I’m going to tend to my horse. Maybe I’ll even get another cup of coffee.” I lifted to my feet, slowly backing away, indulging him with my most impish of smirks. One I seemed to reserve solely for him.
Jude’s lips stretched into a thin line, but his brown eye gleamed with pure gold.
Leaving him and his lingering eyes behind, I scurried off to my mare, who was glaring at me as if to scold.
“Oh hush, Starlight,” I chided, petting her mane. “Nothing will come of it, anyway. But a girl’s gotta live a little before she kicks the bucket.” Starlight nickered and leaned into my touch, savoring the affection I was showing her tangled midnight tresses.
Once she was saddled and packed, I mounted and led her in line with the rest of the Knights, falling in beside Patrick and his snow-white steed. The lucky bastard had procured a fine horse that wasn’t as crotchety as mine.
