Page 17 of Enchanted Heir
He rolled over so his back was toward me. “I expected more of a fight from you, honestly.”
I yawned. “I’m contemplating stuffing pillows under the covers between us right now.”
He laughed. “And there it is.”
While I laid there trying to calm my mind, my eyes travelled the scars of his back that peeked out from the covers. Sleep was nowhere to be found.
* * *
“How amI supposed to sleep though?” I asked Owen. “I’m crawling back into bed as soon as we get back.” I was exhausted. Even the smell of the forest was barely helping. I had gotten up after Krew left, running on only a few hours of sleep.
“You sleep with me in the room just fine,” Owen offered logically. “It’ll just take some getting used to.”
But between the scars of Krew’s that I wanted to soak in healing ointment and the collar bone that begged to be gawked at, I doubted it would be that easy.
“Maybe I’ll sleep in the day and be awake at night,” I offered. “Go full nocturnal.”
He lifted a finger toward the food I left for Rafe, yesterday’s food long gone. “I feel like that will not be conducive to the rest of your Assemblage duties. Nor any fun for me if I miss out on all your baking.”
I spun toward the direction of the Dead Lake. I was back to having only Owen as a day guard. Apparently, the king decided I needed only one guard if I was to be sequestered in Krew’s wing at all times. I was trying my best not to be overly suspicious about that move. “But I’msotired.”
“So you’ve said. No fewer than six times this morning,” Owen offered.
I let out a sigh. But then I remembered something I thought of last night as I laid awake staring at Krew’s back. “Are Krew and Keir still practicing?”
“They didn’t last night. Because of the ball. So they haven’t since you switched, no, but they’ve also been busy,” he explained.
“Will they tonight?”
He shrugged and shot me a wince of a smile. “I think so. Not sure.”
I tipped my head back. “Why do I have to ruin everything?”
“You didn’t ruin shit,” Owen said bluntly. “Yeah, Keir is mad at Krew right now, but only because he isn’t ready to own up to his own role in what happened.”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, but I feel like their ultimate goal is more important than whose Assemblage I’m in.”
“I agree. So does Krew. Keir will remember that too, just give him a day or two to cool off. It’s not like this is the first time they’ve been mad at one another,” Owen offered.
“I don’t have a sibling so I wouldn’t know.”
He smiled at me. “What are you talking about? I’m right here.”
I laughed and took a sip of my tea I had brought with us, steaming in its cup. I hadn’t been willing to let the caffeine out of my sight this morning.
“So I think we can go to Nerede here in a week or so,” Owen informed me. “Get out of the castle for a bit.”
I took another sip of the tea after stepping over a big log in the way. “Mother is going to flip when she finds out I switched. If she hasn’t already heard it by then.”
He shrugged. “She saw you two together.”
“That was before we starting acting infatuated with one another,” I argued.
Owen snorted.“Exactly.”
“Hey, what is that supposed to mea—”
The words died on my lips and my cup slipped out of my hands, not shattering, surprisingly, but rolling away onto the hard ground and leaves.
