Page 75 of The Red Woman and the White Bear

“I’m going for a walk; I’ll be back in a little while.” Aisling stood in the doorway between Rodney’s chamber and their adjoining bathroom. He was lying sideways across his bed, flipping through an old comic he’d tucked into his bag. He’d had several more, along with two paperbacks, when they’d packed to go to Aisling’s apartment on the mainland, but left those behind to lighten his load when their plans changed.

He looked up at her from the page quizzically. “A walk?”

“I’m restless,” she said. “I haven’t been able to fall asleep yet.” She had tried, though not for long and not terribly hard.

“And do you always brush your hair before you go for walks?” hechallenged.

Aisling reached up defensively to touch the ends of her hair. “I always brush it before I go to bed,” she shot back. “But like I said, I couldn’t sleep.”

Rodney hummed, then rolled onto his back and held the comic up over his face. “I won’t wait up.”

It took her longer than it should have to reach Kael’s chamber, having turned around several times, convinced she was making a mistake. There was a voice in her head, loud and crystal clear, that repeated over and over all the terrible, cruel things she’d expected Kael to say when she returned. It was unkind, that voice, even though he hadn’t been. And she thought that she deserved every unkind thing it said.

By the time she stopped outside of his doors, her heart was hammering almost painfully against her ribs and her palms were sticky with sweat. A light shone through the crack beneath the doors, and it flickered and shifted as Kael moved around inside. She wiped both hands on her thighs before knocking softly. In the few seconds it took him to pull one of them open, Aisling prayed he would ignore the disturbance. Or that the movement inside was Methild, cleaning, and Kael wasn’t there at all.

“Aisling,” he said, surprised. She loved the way her name sounded in his mouth, almost as much as she loved the way his name felt in hers. “Is everything alright?”

“I wanted to apologize again for Rodney’s behavior earlier. I talked to him; it won’t happen again.” All of the more plausible excuses she’d rehearsed on her walk had dried up on her tongue.

“No need,” he assured her. “He is only protecting his friend. I might even call it admirable, were it not directed at me.”

“Still,” she said, “I’m sorry.”

Kael moved closer to her, so that she had to tip her chin to look up at him. “Was there anything else?”

Her breath hitched slightly. “Did you find any other books?”

“A handful. If you’d like, we can meet tonight in the library to read through them.” His silver eyes were focused so intently on hers that she thought he might set her aflame where she stood. The heat that burned in her cheeks felt awfully close.

“That would be good.”

A smirk lit Kael’s face. “You came all the way here to discuss Rodney and books?”

“I just came to apologize for him.” The tremor in Aisling’s voice, and the fact that Kael undoubtedly heard it, only intensified her blush.

Kael leaned against the other door, still keeping that closeness. “So you mentioned.”

“Right,” Aisling said. The way his shirt subtly outlined his muscles had rendered her nearly speechless. The way his pants hung low around his hips, showing just the barest sliver of skin above the waistline as he settled his weight onto his shoulder, had halted all rational thought.

“Would you like to come in?” he asked, still in that same teasing tone. When she could only nod, Kael stepped aside and pulled the door open wider. His chamber was warmly lit by candles anda fire that burned low on the hearth. He’d been reading; there was a book flipped over the arm of the chair beside the hearth to mark his place.

“May I pour you a drink?” His voice startled her; she’d hardly heard him cross the chamber to where he kept several bottles of honey wine on a small table. Aisling nodded gratefully, already eager for the drink to soothe her nerves. When he handed her a full goblet, she thought his fingertips lingered where they brushed against hers for just a second longer than they should have.

Kael pulled up a second chair so that they could sit side by side before the fire. The hypnotic movement of the flames gave Aisling something to train her eyes on, something to prevent her from looking over to study the Unseelie King.

“I never truly thanked you,” he said after a while, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

Aisling turned in her chair to face him. He was already facing her. “For what?”

“For coming back. For bringing me back.” The marked rigidness he usually carried melted away like ice thawing under warm sunlight—those layers of protection he wore so determinedly had fallen away one by one until all that remained before her now was raw and real.

“I’m just glad I could help.” It fell short of everything she wanted to express, those words, but none would have done her feelings justice.

Kael finished his wine, then, once Aisling had done the same, took her goblet and set it on the ground beside his. He rose to his feet and extended a hand to her. When she took it and stood, he guidedher to stand directly in front of him. He ran the rough pad of his thumb across her cheekbone and the featherlight touch made her shiver involuntarily.

“There are a great many things I have done in my years that I wish I could change,” he said low. “I should not have sent you away as I did.”

Aisling had to remind herself to breathe, but the exhale felt stuck in her lungs. “Anyone would have done the same. I should have told you sooner.”

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