Page 16 of Oath of Rebellion

Olive moved the meat to a tray. "Breakfast is almost ready. I'm going to get Knox. Flip the biscuits in the pan in three minutes."

She walked away, but Scarlet stayed, eying Eirwyn as she cooked. The awkward silence between them stretched, and for once in her life, Eirwyn didn't break it with mundane chatter.

Her mind turned back to what she'd said earlier. How had a strapping young man like Knox could go his entire life without ever having sex? Hells, she hadn't even made it fifteen years before her first time, but he'd made it—gods, how old was he?

Eirwyn bit her lip, the questions about him piling up one on top of the other. She took a deep breath to ask Scarlet, but then he walked in the door. All the air rushed out of her in a whoosh, and wind lifted her hair slightly around her head before settling.

His eyes went immediately to her, the bright green distracting her from her task at the hot stone. His presence was like a shooting star, and she wanted to turn and chase after him, leaping into his arms.

He walked to the table and sat down at the head, and she blushed, turning back to cooking. She was such a ninny, getting this nervous. He was just a man, and she'd been with her fair share of men before.

She flipped the biscuits and eggs, watching carefully as they cooked. She wiped sweat from her forehead.

So what if she was avoiding his gaze? So what if she wanted to teach this virgin lumberjack a thing or two? After today, she wouldn't see him again. It didn't matter what she wanted, really.

Her heart sank, heavy with disappointment. Disappointed on the missed opportunity with him, and disappointed in herself that she wanted him so much. Normally her hormones were just an itch she needed to scratch.

But Scarlet was right. He definitely wasn't one of her tavern boy dalliances. He was all man, and just the feel of his stare on her back made her shiver with awareness. It'd take more than a quick tussle between the sheets to put out the fire he was stoking within her.

She slid his eggs onto a plate and grabbed the biscuits. She set the plate in front of him, stepping close and inhaling his earthy scent.

His hood was up yet again, but none of the others said anything. She didn't want to point out his rude behavior, so she just turned back to the hot stone and began to clean it, moving the dishes to the sink.

"Dear, leave it until after you eat. You need a good meal for the rest of the journey through the forest," Olive said, sitting at the other end of the table.

Scarlet sat beside her on a bench and Helga sat across from her on another bench.

Eirwyn took a plate and sat beside Knox, loading her plate full of all the delicious foods she didn't get to eat at the palace.

She bit into a piece of bacon and groaned. "Gods, this is delicious."

Knox' eyes were on her like an animal lying in wait for its prey. Still she ignored his gaze.

"What can we expect from the rest of the journey?" Helga asked.

Scarlet waved a slice of bacon and explained. Eirwyn took a bite, savoring the taste yet somehow inhaling it too. She ate faster than she should've, and it felt like a piece got lodged in her throat.

She reached for the pitcher of water from the center of the table and poured into the mug. Then she chugged it.

She gasped in relief when she was done and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Helga's eyes were narrowed, and she knew she'd disappointed her.

But when she finally couldn't take it anymore and looked up at Knox, it was to see his emerald green eyes staring at her in contemplation.

She blushed and looked back down. "Excuse me," she said, eating slower and chewing more deliberately.

A faint twitch of the lips had her staring at him more intently. "Don't worry about it. The Edge will make anyone ravenous. Are you well this morning?"

She nodded, glancing back down in embarrassment. "Yes, thank you. And you?"

He nodded, taking another bite of his food.

Gods, she was such a ninny. She couldn't even carry a decent conversation with him now because all she could think about was riding him for days.

It was going to be a long ride back to Demerel.

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