My pulse kicked up as those cold pupils met my gaze. But if my ass, breasts, or cunt triggered him as they had last night, there was no telling.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes. “The saltwater helped. Your recuperation looks promising, but if those cuts fester or turn red, show me.”
That instruction had sounded considerate. In my wavering silence, the prince must have recognized the impression he’d given and clarified, “I cannot have you decaying when I need you able-bodied.”
Such a prick. Even so, my attention traveled to the dried scab on his calf. It might be healing, or I might have made it worse, since I had no experience with that sort of damage.
Jellyfish stings, coral gashes, and weaving blisters. Yes.
Razor sharp droplets of rain. No.
As I pointed, his mockery cut me off. “Your skills are adequate. I’ll live beyond that. There’s no need to care.”
If that was how he wanted to be, then fuck him. Rather than concerning myself, I fantasized about setting fire to his scalp and serving his carcass to the nearest resident carnivore. That would solve most of my problems.
As unwilling allies, we traveled into the rainforest. The rope around my midriff anchored the dagger and canteen, and the cuts on my body had dried into scabs. The prince walked fine despite his injured calf, his leather belt securing the scalpel knife, its sheath suspended low over his rotating waist.
Threads of sunlight haloed the trees. Howls and whistles overlapped from every corner. The fauna afforded us peeks, from hummingbirds with longer wings to centipedes that stretched for miles.
Reptiles held court, their features resembling basilisks. Thick hides as black as soot, stomachs that glowed like molten rocks whenever they breathed, and tails that stretched like ropes.
“Adaptation,” the prince murmured, one hand resting on his sheath.
“Diversity,” I replied with a grin, the word making him frown in thought.
Endless wonders materialized through the mist, as intoxicating as the fragrance of blossoming plumerias. Along the way, we scanned the path with two sets of eyes, his of a scientist, mine of an explorer, and—
My free hand shot toward the prince, warning him to stop. But he’d already halted, also reaching out to stall me.
Because of this, our fingers brushed. The sensation crackled up my limbs like embers. In unison, we glanced down to where our digits made contact.
Not okay. Yet neither of us pulled back. Instead, his eyes trailed along an invisible object, and mine followed, latching onto the silver wire strung across the path. Our feet had paused an inch from the trap, which had to be the work of a hungry dweller. Tripping the wire would have alerted the creature of our presence.
The prince drew his fingers from mine and murmured, “I will go first.”
If I didn’t know him better, I would have mistaken the gesture for gallantry. Brushing off the illusion, I opened my mouth to protest.
Yet he was too fast. Methodically, the prince stepped over the wire, then twisted my way. Offering a curt nod, he extended his arm as if to steady me lest I should trip.
I gave my companion an uncertain look, then pursed my lips in sudden amusement at his austere features. I’d never beheld someone that eternally serious. Here we stood, surrounded by lush splendor, yet he acted as though we’d landed in purgatory.
Inspired, I jogged backward and hopped over the line. Alarm cramped his expression. He jolted forward as though to catch me, only to halt as I landed.
“Huh,” I gloated. “So your face isn’t nailed that way after all.”
The prince’s arm dropped. “Do not get used to it.”
“Of course not. Seasons forbid, you crack a smile.”
“Do you plan on risking your neck in every circumstance and with every obstruction we come across? Tell me now, so I know whether to leash you.”
“I think we both know how well restraints work on me.”
“They worked in the quad.” His eyes raked down my curves. “As for this environment, perhaps I haven’t found the right ones yet.”
Why did that sound like a prediction rather than a bluff?
I stiffened, but he sauntered away before I could whip up a good retort. Ignoring the sparks across my flesh where his gaze had slid, I charged after him, miffed that he’d taken the lead.