His body stiffened once more, then he slowly shifted, spinning around entirely until he was facing me again. “Why are you so curious?” he questioned with a steely tone. His cool gray eyes looked even more mysterious now than they had when we first met.
“You already know a great deal about me,” I explained softly, my words hushed as I realized how close we were sitting. “Perhaps I want to know about you as well. You did save my life after all, and right now I’m hoping to help save yours. If I’m going to be coming back here to care for you then we should at least be cordial.”
An amused light flicked into his eyes, and for a moment, I noticed him stifle a twitching smile, but just as quickly it faded into a far more serious expression. “You don’t owe me anything, Nixie.” His tone dipped, flowing low and smooth in the small space. “I didn’t save you out of a sense of honor, and you don’t need to nurse me out of guilt. If you wish to return, I hope you do so because you wish to indulge in my company; otherwise I am perfectly well on my own.”
Despite his honeyed tone, I could still hear the disbelief in his words as he expressed his willingness to remain alone. He was in bad shape, and he knew it, so why was he saying that he didn’t need me? Did he truly only want me around if I wasn’t visiting out of guilt? To be truthful, I felt entirely at fault for his condition, but there was something more than guilt that compelled me to sit by the fire with him now. He had intrigued me, and not just because he was good looking. He had secrets, yet he was noble and kind—and also a little obnoxious.
“Nonsense,” I remarked sharply. “You have been nothing but honorable and courteous to me since we met, and there is no reason for you to refuse my assistance unless you dislike me to an extreme measure. And if that is the case, then I’m afraid you are out of luck, because my pestering conscious refuses to let you die here. So, unless you despise me so badly that you would rather perish an agonizing death, you will be forced to see me again until you are well enough to get by. During that time, you will also be expected to engage in small talk with me; otherwise I will be terribly bored and will likely start singing, in which case your suffering will only grow more painful. Have I made myself clear?” I crossed my arms stiffly, glaring into Kian’s puzzled expression with a stern gaze.
A smile crept over him, and he turned his face to the ground to attempt to keep it hidden. His soft chuckle gave him away, and he looked up to face me with smiling eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?” he asked with a sideways smile.
I puffed up my cheeks for a moment then released them with a huff. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re infuriating? All you had to say was ‘Thank you,’ or ‘Wow, Nixie! I appreciate you offering to save my life!’”
He laughed again, his throat still rasping. “I’ve never been much of a people pleaser... It looks like we have that in common.” He smirked tauntingly as he averted his eyes from my blazing stare.
“I beg your pardon? I’ll have you know that I’m an exceptional people pleaser. Half of the single gentlemen in the realm would gladly marry me at first sight.” I tilted my chin upward.
“Then half of the men in the realm are complete fools,” he chided. “They don’t want to marry you; they want to marry a princess.” He leaned forward, narrowing his gaze on me with an intense focus. “They couldn’t handle you.”
His words made my heart race without permission, but I kept my emotions level and matched his intensity as I leaned in to his challenge. “You’re right, they couldn’t... but can you?” I winked at him before quickly rising to my feet, unsure of where my sudden confidence had stemmed from. He was so intent on pushing my buttons that I simply had to prove that I could out-stubborn him, but now my racing heart was warning me that I had gone too far. I couldn’t look at him as I turned my attention to his dwindling fire and tossed a few dry stick onto it.
A surge of panic jolted me as I recalled what I had originally come outside for in the first place. Minerva was going to worry if I wasn’t back soon. For a brief moment I considered telling her about Kian, and even asking her for help with his recovery, but Minerva was still unaware about my connection with the princess. It was selfish, but I wanted to keep it that way. She seemed trustworthy enough, but I didn’t want to risk being thrown out if she took offense or decided to sell me off to the rebels. It was safer if she didn’t know, for me and Kian.
“I have to go.” I whirled around from the fire to face Kian and was startled to find that a dumbfounded look was stuck to his face. When I raised my eyebrow, he quickly returned to normal before I could say anything.Had my retort actually left him speechless? There’s no way, he was clearly only lost in thought...
“Going so soon?” He drew out the question with a dramatic flair, then winced as his voice cracked.
“Yes, but I’ll be back tomorrow with some medical supplies.” I tossed another stick onto the fire, hoping to make it easier for him to maintain while I was gone. “Don’t get up unless absolutely necessary, and if you have any food, make sure you eat well. I’ll bring more tomorrow so don’t worry about rationing it.”
He watched me intently as I collected stray twigs along the ground. I tossed half of them into his dwindling wood pile and the other half I kept in my arms.
“Who are you staying with?” he asked in a more serious tone.
I flicked my eyes back to him, feeling a little unprepared for his question. “I just...” I sighed, there was no reason to keep Minerva a secret from him. “I’m staying a woman who found me when I was lost in the woods. She’s very hospitable, but she’s weary of her neighbors and most strangers. I’m worried that if I bring you to her...”
“That she’ll start asking questions about why I’m injured and learn that you’re a princess.”
“Well, I’m not a princess,” I retorted swiftly, “but yes, I’m afraid that if she learns about the whole mess, she’ll either turn me into the rebels or kick me out. I want to trust her, but I’ve only known her for a week, and she used to be wealthy so... I don’t know.”
“I understand,” Kian said softly, a reassuring smile actually spanning his face. “If you’re safe, then you should stay that way. Even if you’re not the princess, we wouldn’t want you ending up in the clutches of someone dangerous.”
The thought sent a chill down my spine. “Yeah, I’m just thankful that Ashbourne hasn’t caught wind of me yet. That would be horrifying.” I shuddered, then looked back to Kian, whose face had suddenly grown paler.He must despise Ashbourne, too.
“Nixie.” His voice came out hoarser than normal, and for a moment I feared that his illness had progressed.
I sank back down with him, my expression furrowed with concern. “Yes, what’s wrong?”
He shook his head as if to signal he was fine. “Nothing, I just...” He paused, averting his gaze from mine. “Never mind, you should get going.”
I stayed on the ground with him for another moment before tentatively rising. “Alright,” I said with worried suspicion. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning. In the meantime, you can hold onto my dagger... you’ll need it more than I will.”
Kian’s face contorted into a puzzled glare directed at the blade and then me. “Yourdagger? I’m fairly certain it was that bumbling rebel who skewered me.”
“Well, who do you think he confiscated it from?” I said snidely. “I’ve handled that blade for over ten years now, so I expect that you’ll take exceptional care of it.”
He gave me another confused look, then picked up the blade to inspect its use. “What has a pretty little thing like you been doing with a blade for the last ten years? Excuse me for being presumptuous, but you don’t really seem like the warrior type.” He eyed my petite form with a questioning glare.
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know everything about me, Kian.” I snorted. “I’m more than just a pampered fake princess, you know.” I turned my back to him, trotting off into the woods while collecting sparse pickings of wood along the way.