Page 39 of Oath of Rebellion

She squatted and a loud thud hit above her. She turned to see the lone figure grasping his arm as he turned and fled back up the stairs.

She breathed heavily and looked up at the looming figure now only a few steps below her. He tipped his head back, and brilliant green eyes met her own in the dim light.

He held out a hand. "Are you alright, Eirwyn?"

She took it, her mind splintering. "Knox? What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I placed an order for some supplies for Olive and was told to come back in a few days to pick them up. What are you doing here?"

Her stomach twisted, and she put a hand on it, breathing deeply until the spasm passed. Then she said, "I went to the tavern. I just needed to escape all the wedding preparations, the fanfare of the diplomats and court."

She sighed. "It's just a lot to handle sometimes. I needed a break, a fun night to just relax. Do you ever feel like that? Like the world is just pressing down on you, and you need to fly free or you'll burst?"

He rubbed his chin and leaned closer, one palm on the wall above her. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at him.

"I feel like that all the bloody time, princess." His voice was deep and sent a shiver up her spine. She tipped her head back and swayed closer to him.

But he stepped back, waving in front of him. "Let me escort you the rest of the way."

She nodded, turning and going up the steps. She lifted her skirt and stepped over the dark liquid from the attack.

"Thank you for taking care of those men. I've walked all over this town for years, and I've never been attacked like that. Look at me, I'm shaking."

She held out her hands and laughed from nerves.

He stopped them at the end of another alley and pulled her into a hug. His strong biceps wrapped around her, and she stiffened.

"You're safe now, princess. As long as I'm around, you'll always be safe."

A delicious honey scent filled her nostrils, mixing with his woodsy musk and the city around them. It made her mad with desire, her core aching. Her desire mixed with the protection of his arms. It was heady, making her dizzy. She didn't want to let him go.

She sighed, her shoulders relaxing for the first time in weeks. She'd felt like she was walking on pins and needles since she'd gotten home. Gastone kept staring at her over the dinner table, and the look in his eye gave her pause.

It wasn't new. She'd seen that look on his face a lot over the years. But the intensity had shifted, and now he'd added a little smirk to it, like he knew something she didn't.

Knox pulled back and looked down. She flared her light magic so she could see into his hood, his emerald eyes concerned. "Is there something else going on?"

She bit her lip, then smiled as she stepped away from him. His arms dropped to his sides, and they began walking once more.

"No, nothing else. Just stressed about the wedding, tired, and hungry, I suppose."

She felt empty as she walked, and she had an overwhelming need to touch him. They reached the wider streets of the wealthier side of town, and she took Knox' arm. He gave a looked down at the contact but crooked his arm like a gentleman and walked next to her.

"Do you come into town often?" she asked. Gods, there she went, asking stupid questions again.

"Rarely, although I've found myself in town more and more the past weeks."

She wanted to ask what he normally did when he wasn't in town. Did he just chop down trees? Did he work with the king's forces to the south to create a new road? Somehow she doubted it.

She cleared her throat to ask, "How are Olive and Scarlet?"

He nodded, his head turning side to side and scanning the deserted streets for trouble. "They're doing well. I took Olive some of her supplies last week and told her about the wedding. We're all eager to see how this will impact the kingdom."

She snorted as the palace loomed ahead. "You and me both. But Bella is a good woman, and she'll make a great queen. Not sure that even she has the power to temper my brother's unique nature, though."

"That's a very tactful way of saying he's a pain in the ass. And you don't consider yourself a diplomat?"

She laughed as they finally walked along the palace wall to the back gate house. She waved to the portcullis.

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