Page 42 of Enchanted Heir
“Wait,” I said, standing and walking the few steps over to him. “You have some flour on you.” I brushed the white off his black muslin shirt under his jacket.
“Thank you,” he said gently.
“Thankyou. Thank you for allowing me to help them.”
I waited for Krew to get back for a while, taking a long soak in the tub, and telling Owen to yell at me when Krew returned.
He still hadn’t arrived, so I tried to read after that, but I was so emotionally exhausted from yet another of the king’s manipulations that by late afternoon, I fell into bed and slept. I barely remembered the following day we would go to Nerede, that there was hope for tomorrow. All I wanted was for this day to be over.
CHAPTER11
Instead of Krew meeting us in the forest like we previously had, we all just took the secret pathway out of his room and down to the forest together.
“I have to warn you,” Krew said, an arm on my shoulder as we took the steps in the cold hallway downward, “I will be busy at the orphanage today. Hattie and I are going over some orphanage business, things like that. I might not make it to see your mother.”
I didn’t know why that disappointed me, but it did a little. The last time he had come had made her entire day. But I also wasn’t sure why he was informing me of this?
“We still have time to feed Rafe and check the lake though, right?” I asked them both, taking a deep inhale through my nose while I did. I was beginning to really loathe this tunnel of darkness.
“As long as you don’t dawdle,” Krew smirked.
I squinted. “I don’t dawdle.”
“Definitely not in here,” Krew mentioned. “Do you not like small spaces? We could have taken a different way.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m not sure. It just creeps me out that there are no windows.”
“So that’s a yes,” Owen added.
“Possibly,” I amended. It would help explain my obsession with windows.
As we finally made our way out of the pantry and out the door, stopping briefly to greet the kitchen staff, I felt better. Maybe they were right; maybe I did fear small spaces.
The forest was cold, so we moved quickly to grab the food and feed Rafe. I didn’t expect to see him today. I hadn’t seen him other than the blur of gray from Krew’s wing. But the food was always empty now, so I wasn’t too worried. I knew Rafe found it.
I walked with Owen on one side and Krew on the other. I didn’t know when exactly it had happened, but I trusted the two men beside me more than anyone else, except for maybe Renna. If you had told me on my first night in the castle that would be the case, I would have laughed in your face.
After Owen warmed the food, I turned in the direction of the lake as Krew said from beside me, “You do know it could take a number of weeks before this second trial works, right?”
“What else do I have to do all day? It doesn’t bother me going to check.”
“Flirtations with your prince?” Owen offered.
I glared at him. “Not if no one is watching.”
Krew snickered. “You should start practicing. When no one is around.”
“Your ego is large enough as it is,” I argued.
“First my growing pants, now my large ego?”
Owen burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, what? Do you guys need a minute?”
“No,” I turned to glare at him. “No, we do not.”
“Hey Jorah,” Owen started a few beats later, his voice going so deathly serious, I stopped walking.
“What?”
