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Rounding the corner, I could hear the horses braying and the flick of their tails as they brushed along the edge of their stalls. My nose crinkled at the intense odor that came with the space. A brown spotted nose stuck out and I reached to pet the animal’s soft, shiny muzzle.
The horses remained brushed and fed. Someone had been taking care of the stables. Guilt riddled me in an instant.
Most Nymphs had taken back their regular jobs, something they were familiar with and could do well. Yet, I still had not done my part.
“Hello there, love,” a voice called from the hayloft. Dace’s feet hung over the edge as he swung them back and forth. He smiled down at me.
“Well, are we doing this or not?” I looked around, pondering the best place to get started. When I looked back up, Dace was gone. “Dace?”
“Almost didn’t think you were going to make it. Thought you might be getting caught up with thatnotboyfriendof yours.”
I jolted around as his voice came from over my shoulder. “Yes, the same could be said of you with yournot-girlfriend. Didn’t see you in the valley today.”
“You see,” he began, clearing his throat, “I’m trying this new thing out. I’m not particularly good at it. It’s called ‘being a good friend.’”
“You’re just now trying that out?”
Dace wrinkled his nose. “Yes, well, apparently it’s a lot harder to make friends now that I’m not actually heir to a throne. As it turns out, friends are a lot more work than I once thought.”
“So that’s what you were doing all day. Working.”
“Exactly.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding an apple, and polished it against his sleeve. With one hand, he offered it to me.
In an instant, he was the Fae trying to coax me to eating the night of the Day of Ruin. I could see him as he was in his finery, surrounded by the castle walls, while I wondered what harm might come to me. With new gratitude, I took it with a nod and tried not to stare up at him. A snack was certainly needed before I tried to push myself any further today. Juice flooded my mouth as I took a small bite of the apple. The fruit had been cool despite the heat of the day.
Through my full mouth, I asked, “Where would you like to begin?”
“Behind the barn perhaps? Keeps us out of view from the rest of the castle, some sense of privacy would be nice.”
“Right,” I said slowly, stroking the nose of another horse that poked out of their stall as I walked by, and pocketed the rest of my apple.
Dirt and hay crunched under Dace’s feet as he followed me. He hummed an unfamiliar tune as he went, something surprisingly cheerful. The view of the castle was lost to the worn wood of the barn and the expanse of manicured lawn on the other side.
It was just the two of us. Alone.
Dace stood against the wall his eyes on me. The sun was nearly gone, just an orange blur above the distant forest. Stars were already appearing through the latticework of the clouds.
“What are you doing?” I asked, pacing slowly through the grass. Dew was already setting in as the wind blew in the evening chill.
“Looking at you.” He bowed his chin, keeping his eyes trained on me with a coy smile.
I scoffed, turning away so he couldn't see the blush creeping up my neck.This is about more than just a handsome boy, Ryker. If I kept telling myself that, then maybe I could make it feel more real.
“Oh, so now I’m not allowed to look at you?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“True. You didn’t say anything. So I guess I’ll take it as an invitation to keep on looking then.”
Warmth swarmed my chest as my heart skipped. Rolling my eyes and crossing my arms, I planted myself in one spot. “Would you like to start, or shall I?”
“Ladies first.” Dace motioned for me to start. “What exactly are you working on now?”
“I—” I started.
“No, show me.” He leaned forward with a stone-cold seriousness. A daring glare.
“Fine,” I answered through clenched teeth, waving my palm in front of me.
