Page 49 of Enchanted Shadows
Two beats of silence. “I didn’t know that.”
“I trust this forest and its weird happenings more than I trust most people,” I admitted while I turned to look at her. Her face was still watching the sunset, and dammit if she wasn’t gorgeous. I had boxed up and shut out any appreciations I had for the women. They were all shapes and sizes, and I was a man, far from immune to their charms, but I also knew I couldn’t look at any of them as anything other than my trainee. “And speaking of that, full disclosure, I went to see one Amos Reyes a few days ago.”
That had her brown eyes on mine. Laser focused. “Why? Why would you do that?”
“Because you kept mentioning dealing with worse than me, and we both know I’m not exactly warm around the edges. So, I went to see what I was dealing with.”
She went still and quiet as she looked back at the sunset. But from the way she was squeezing one of her hands, I thought it was nerves. She didn’t like my digging.
“He didn’t tell me much. Offered me a beer and told me you were hiding from your family. That’s about as much as he would say. Though I did lead with trapping him with my Enchantment. Just in case.”
Her lips twitched just the briefest amount. “Amos is a good man. You donothave to worry about him.”
“Are you two in a relationship?”
She jerked her eyes back to mine. “Why?”
“I’m trying to understand it, that’s all,” I told her. “Thought maybe it was like Aletta and your family doesn’t approve of your choice. No judgements. Even if he is a little old for you.”
“I’m older than I look.” She quickly added, “You and Queen Jorah?”
“What about us? We are close in age.”
“No. Did you ever date her?”
I snorted a laugh. “Hell no. I knew from the start she and Krew were made for one another. Kept throwing them in situations together until they saw it too. I love her, just not in a romantic sort of way.”
She considered that. “Well Amos and I are a lot like that. He is not my brother, but I wish he was. If that makes sense.”
“It does.” I offered her another cookie. Jorah was making more to bring over tomorrow anyway. “Are you ready to tell me about your family? I’m already gearing up to take care of any loyalist outbursts because of the team. Also keeping an eye out for thedead king’s black magic. So if I need to do a little threatening, it wouldn’t be a hassle. Easy to add to the list.”
She went quiet and I waited, eating my own cookie. Giving her space and time to think. When she finally spoke, her voice was textured as if drug through gravel. “I just didn’t expect to love them like this.”
It took me a minute to realize she meant the team. The other women. “Me neither, if that’s any consolation.”
She snorted a laugh. “I tried to keep my distance, but Molly is a magician and snuck past all my defenses. I would do anything for those women.”
I grinned. “Molly the Magician? I have been referring to Pippa in my head as Pippa the Pepper for quite some time now.”
She stilled for a moment and burst out laughing. “It fits, but you’re still horrible.”
She saw the look I was giving her and rushed to add, “Do not even start with me about leadership.”
“You’re a natural leader. You remind me a lot of Krewan, actually.”
“Wh—what do you mean?”
“He is calculated like you are, some people think he’s cold, but he has the biggest heart. He was the leader of our training team coming out of the first session. Leadership doesn’t always have to be loud and in your face. It isn’t a one-size fits all.” I moved to chuck a rock into the lake. It skipped twice. “Don’t think I didn’t notice on the obstacle course that you could make it up the bars with arm strength. You showed them another way on purpose.”
Her eyes flooded with tears even as she snapped, “Playing favorites doesn’t become you, General.”
“Holding back doesn’t become you, Zara.”
She sniffled and threw a rock. It skipped three times.Of course.
I stood and reached for her hand to help her up. “Come on.”
“What?”
