Page 39 of Hollowed

“Youneed to rest as well.”

“Iwill,” he said, shifting in the bed.

Iturned on my side to face him. “Thankyou.”

Heshifted again, and his breath washed over my face, inches from my lips. “Andwhat haveIdone to earn your gratitude,KatrinaVanTassel?”

“Youhave treated me like someone worthy of friendship.Someoneworthy of existing.”Myvoice was so quiet,Icould barely hear myself.

Hewas silent, breathing slowly and evenly in front of me. “Youare worthy of far more than simply existing.”

Boldnessflowed through me, andIreached a hand up to rest gently on his cheek.Inthe darkness, it felt even more intimate than it really was.Thestubble on his jaw felt prickly against my palm.Hisbreath remained steady against my face.Mythumb ran over the skin, and a part of me that had never surfaced surged upward, longing for me to lean in and kiss him.

Butas much as that part of me wanted to, the familiar part of me that knewIcould never be enough for someone.Slowly,Ilet my hand drop.Beforeit made it more than a few inches away, he reached up and pushed it back to his face, trapping my hand against his.

Hisbreath washed over my face again, closer this time.

Unableto handle the pressure of knowing he was watching me in the darkness,Ilet my eyes slide shut.Anticipationfluttered through me, like butterflies swarming in my veins.

“Ihave to go,” he whispered into the darkness as the accompanying puffs of breath moved my hair.

AndthenAlexanderpulled away from me and the coldness rushed in.Ikept my eyes shut, listening to the bed squeak as he moved, the thump as he pulled on his boots, the soft footsteps as he left the room, and the door closing with a click behind him.

Shameheated my cheeks now instead of attraction, andIslumped against the bed, silently hoping it would swallow me whole and end this misery.Atleast he had left, rather than try to discuss it.Rejectionand disappointment were both best handled in silence.Ihad misread the signs, the glances, and his kind comments.Theywere not whatIhad thought or whatIhopedImight have.

Pullingthe blankets up to my chin,Irolled away from the door and closed my eyes tightly, balling my hands into fists.Now,Iwould sleep, and whenIwoke,Iwould shove my emotions down and face my family once more.

Itwould be easy.Afterall, it’d once been my daily routine.

Eighteen

Myrest was fitful, butImust have drifted off, because the door closing woke me with a start.Alexanderturned from the door and grimaced. “Idid not mean to wake you.”

“Isit time to go to the town meeting?”Iasked, sitting up in bed.Theroom was still dark from the heavy curtains, but a sliver of light traced a line down the window and across the floor to the door.

“Nearly.”Hisfootsteps sounded as he walked over and leaned on the wall across from the bed.Evenin the darkness,Icould feel his eyes on me, heavy and watching my every move.

“Thenit was time for me to wake up.”

“Aboutearlier…” he trailed off, the discomfort rolling off him in thick waves.

Iheld a hand up, not wanting to have this conversation.Heatburned in my cheeks, knotting my stomach and pushing the sour taste of embarrassment to the back of my tongue. “No.Thereis nothing for you to say.Iapologize for making you uncomfortable.Itwon’t happen again.”

Hewas silent, the unsaid words of rejection hanging in the darkness.

“Please, we don’t need to talk about it.”Iwas nearly begging at this point, butIcouldn’t bear to hear the rejection said aloud. “Imade a mistake.”

“Asyou wish,” he said, bowing slightly.Hemoved to the window and pulled open the curtains, bathing the room in dying light. “Edmundwill be here shortly.Weneed to discuss our plan for the meeting with the townspeople.”

“Whatis there to do?”Iasked, rubbing my hand over my face to clear the sleep. “Exceptlisten, that is.”

“Afterwe listen to what they have to say,Iwant to speak with some of the otherElders.Sinceyou so strongly suspectBromand his family or your parents,Iwant to make time to speak with them as well.”Hecrossed his arms over his chest. “Iwant to get a feeling for them myself, to see if we can determine who would have the most to gain by summoning the sluagh.”

Iraised an eyebrow. “Isincerely doubtBromwill want to speak with you after your encounter earlier in the stables.”

“Heshould not have touched you,” he said, his voice hard again. “AndIwill speak to his family then.Ihave no patience for a man who believes he may touch a woman just because he pleases.”

“Whatabout my parents?”Iasked, playing with my hands in my lap.

---