Page 18 of Ash and Roses

Jade points a hand directly ahead of us. “It’s not far. We’re close enough to hear if anyone is coming, but far enough away to stay hidden.” His face turns serious. “Don’t go wandering.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” I sit between Teagan and Jade and wonder how they aren’t nearly as worn out as I am. Teagan has distinct bags under her eyes, but she looks like she could go another mile or two. And Jade? He looks as if he’s barely broken a sweat.

“What?” he asks when he notices me staring, and I immediately feel my cheeks flush crimson. I’m not sure why I feel so guilty.

“You must be so cold.”

He looks down at his bare chest, as if only just realizing he’s shirtless. “Not really,” he shrugs.

He has to be lying because even I feel the chill through the fur cloak wrapped around my shoulders. I slip it off and drape it over our laps. It’s just long enough to form a narrow blanket that covers us all.

“Were you not allowed a shirt at that meeting?”

He and Teagan both laugh, but it’s Jade who answers. “Shirts just get in the way sometimes.”

I want to ask what he means, but exhaustion is a powerful force. Teagan leans her head on my shoulder and lets out a yawn that moments later morphs into a soft snore. I guess I was wrong about how tired she was.

“Are you going to sleep?” I ask Jade.

He stares off into the dissipating darkness. “Someone needs to keep watch.”

“And that someone has to be you?”

He flashes me a grin. “No. You want the job?” I can’t stop the yawn fighting to escape. “I guess that answers that.”

“I can stay up.”

“Sleep.” He pulls me in closer to him and kisses the top of my head.

* * *

Jade is still seated beside me when I wake, though now he’s examining his bow string. “Can you teach me to use that?” I ask in way of a good morning.

His smirk is answer enough and I can’t help the smile spreading across my own face. We should get moving, I know we should. It’s difficult to tell the exact time with the tall trees surrounding us, but if I had to guess, I’d say we slept about four hours. Despite that, being out here—being free—has turned the heaviness of my stomach to bubbling excitement. For the first time in my life, there’s no overbearing father or Commander shooting me warning glances. There will be plenty of time to be fearful later, but for right now? I just want to enjoy some semblance of freedom.

Careful not to wake Teagan, we leave her cuddled up with the wolf pelt and move a short distance away. Jade leads me to a tree with a distinct knot in it and then moves back fifteen paces. Before I can blink, he looses an arrow that soars directly into the heart of the knot.

“Showoff,” I mutter. “You make it look so easy.”

“It is easy.”

I elbow him in the side before making grabby hands for the bow. “Give it to me.”

“While Teagan is sleeping? Naughty girl.”

I elbow him again, hard enough for him to laugh-grunt as I snatch the bow from him. Something catches my eye before I can even think about firing a shot. I hadn’t noticed it before, but there’s a piece of fabric tied to the top of the bow. Most of it is a dirty brown, but upon closer inspection, I can just make out what looks to be a floral design beneath the stains. “Is this…?” I can’t even finish the question as I run the silk through my fingers.

“It’s always with me.”

It never once occurred to me that Jade would have kept my hair scarf for all these years, but the knowledge sets my heart ablaze. My fingers slide from the scarf to the bow string. In a perfect world, this would come easy to me, but instead my fingers fumble for purchase. It’s even harder to balance an arrow, and I haven’t even pulled back yet. I can feel the smugness radiating off him, but he doesn’t correct me. I focus on the knot and pull the string taut. At least, as taut as my wobbling arm will allow. I lose my grasp and the arrow flies… a whole three feet before skidding into the dirt.

“Wow. That was awful.”

“Must be an example of your teaching,” I say, forcing the words through a tight jaw.

He flashes me that crooked smile as he collects the arrow and then hands it back to me. “This is nice, you know. Being allowed to look at you. Talk to you.”

I turn fully to meet his gaze. “Touch me?”

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