“I’ll be ready in two hours, then,” I say and head for the bathroom to shower.
I feel his eyes burning into my backside the entire time, and I don’t mind it.
CHAPTER 22
Bastien
Bastien and Thalia got as close to the Rosethorn Valley as they could by bending distance with nothing but their horses and saddlebags carrying basic provisions. They emerged halfway down a butte that led to the flat landscape inside the horseshoe-shaped mountain range.
So named for the scrubby rose bushes that thrived along the western-facing slopes, they approached Rosethorn Valley from the south and didn’t have to battle cutting back any foliage to make the descent. It took no more than half an hour to reach the valley floor to head toward the town of Avery. Thalia only knew that her uncle lived near that town, and they were hoping to find information about him there.
It made no sense to disguise themselves as poor travelers as they would never have possession of such fine horseflesh. As such, they stayed off the main roads. Bastien led, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.
He didn’t like coming alone, but it wasn’t feasible to bring a contingent of soldiers. A group that large couldn’t travel without notice, and Bastien hoped for a quick in-and-out of the Rosethorn Valley.
Kieran was left behind to coordinate the gathering of all the troops from the pledged families. It would take upward of ten days for the ground troops to march to a rendezvous point that had yet to be decided but was being debated by military higher-ups.
When Bastien returned to Conclave Hall after bedding Thalia, he had a moment of guilt that he had perhaps undermined her in front of the royals and Conclave members by dragging her out of there. It was somewhat embarrassing that most probably concluded he was acting on jealousy, but when he returned to the hall to iron out details with his brother, Bastien had found Baynor Sorin quite happy with his salt mine rights and not the least bit upset he’d lost Thalia.
What an utter idiot, Bastien thought, because she was a prize beyond all measure.
Navigating through forests to avoid the roads and populated areas took extra time. They rode along silently, Bastien lost in thought about how eventful the day had been so far—a gathering of pledged royals to discuss battle strategy, a marriage proposal for Thalia, and Sorin’s near death at his hands. Bastien mused that was the least important stuff plaguing him.
It was what happened after—when he more or less kidnapped Thalia from Conclave Hall and forced himself upon her—that bothered him the most.
He knew better.
Should’ve had more control.
Bastien felt like an animal, his need for her was so great. Although he denied it, he absolutely hauled her out of Conclave Hall driven by pure jealousy and fury with the sole intent of proving to her that she didn’t want Sorin.
Instead, he only proved to himself he couldn’t brush her aside anymore. His heart might have been sucked dry of his feelings for her seven years ago, but something was going on inside him now.
Bastien hated his weakness where she was concerned, but damn if he could truly regret it when that was the most alive he’d felt in, well… seven years.
How Thalia viewed the whole thing was anyone’s guess. He’d never ask, afraid it had meant more to her than to him, and he didn’t have it in him to hurt her.
So they continued to ride silently.
Around mid-afternoon, they emerged into a sunny glade with a stream running through it and took a short break to let the horses rest and drink. Bastien rummaged through the saddlebag for fruit while Thalia stretched with a groan.
“I’m not used to being in the saddle for hours at a time like that,” she said.
“Despite living on a horse ranch?” he asked.
“Nothing about a horse ranch requires hours of continuous riding,” she replied and caught an apple he tossed to her. She looked around, perhaps noting they were well away from any road but in an open area. “I’ll cast a quick cloaking spell. Wouldn’t want anyone seeing us.”
And just those few words, the sunny meadow and warm sun had him tumbling back through memories he’d long forgotten.
It had been almost three months since Thalia’s eighteenth birthday, and although Bastien was busy as a captain in the royal army, he still found plenty of time to spend with her. Often Thalia’s parents invited Bastien to dine with them, and he was a regular visitor to their private apartments.
Both adventurers and lovers of the outdoors, they often took rides together where they could have privacy, away from the prying eyes of the palace. Bastien unfortunately had a foreign tour in another region of Vyronas coming up, and he’d be gone for several months. It was his hope that upon his return he and Thalia would marry.