Page 24 of Kingdom of Darkness and Dragons
"How does she look at me?" The question came out almost reluctantly, like he was afraid of the answer.
"Like she's trying to work up the courage to climb you like a tree," I said bluntly, which made him choke on his own spit. "Seriously, the woman practically undresses you with her eyes when she thinks no one's watching. It's honestly a little embarrassing how obvious you both are."
"She does not—"
"She does. Last week when you were chopping wood behind the quarters with your shirt off? She stood at that window for twenty minutes just... watching. I thought she might actually drool."
His face was bright red now, but I could see the hint of a pleased smile he was trying to hide. "You're making that up."
"I am absolutely not making that up. Ask her yourself if you don't believe me." I grinned at his horrified expression. "Or better yet, next time you catch her staring, stare back. See what happens."
"You're insane," he muttered, but the thoughtful look was back in his eyes.
"I'm practical. And I'm tired of watching you both dance around each other when you could just... talk to her. Tell her how you feel. What's the worst that could happen?"
"She could say no."
"She could. But she could also say yes. And considering how she practically melts every time you're within arm's reach, I'm betting on yes." I clapped him on the shoulder. "Besides, you're Antonius the Giant-Slayer. You once killed three men with a broken sword and a bucket. Surely you can handle one conversation with a woman who already cares about you."
He grumbled something that sounded like a string of creative curses, but I caught the slight smile tugging at his lips.
"There's that fighting spirit," I said approvingly. "Now stop being a coward and go tell our girl how you feel. Before she decides you're not interested and starts looking elsewhere."
"She wouldn't—" He stopped, looking genuinely alarmed at the possibility.
"She might. Women don't wait around forever, you know. Even patient ones like Livia." I was laying it on thick now, but it seemed to be working. "Especially if she thinks her feelings aren't returned."
"Fine," he said, squaring his shoulders like he was preparing for battle. "Fine. I'll... think about it."
"Think fast," I advised. "Because if you don't make a move soon, I'm going to start giving her advice on how to seduce you, and trust me, that's a conversation none of us want to have."
The look of pure terror on his face was absolutely priceless, but then his jaw tightened. "It's not that simple."
"Isn't it?" I started walking again, forcing him to keep up. "You're both adults. You care about each other. The worst she can do is say no."
"The worst she can do is say yes and then realize she made a mistake." The words came out harsh, pained. "I can't lose her, Marcus. Not over something like this."
I understood the fear—gods, did I understand it. We'd all been through too much loss, had too much taken from us, to risk what we had for what we might gain. But watching him torture himself, watching both of them dance around feelings that were obvious to everyone else, was its own kind of agony.
"You're not going to lose her," I said firmly. "Whatever happens, you're not going to lose her. But living in this limbo isn't fair to either of you."
He grunted, which was about as close to agreement as I was going to get from him when he was being stubborn and grumbled something under his breath that I chose not to hear,but I could see the thoughtful expression on his face. Maybe, just maybe, I'd gotten through to him.
We reached the Academy grounds just as the evenmeal bells were ringing. Students streamed past us, chattering about classes and dragons and the thousand small dramas that made up their lives. For a moment, I envied them their innocence, their ability to worry about normal things like examinations and social hierarchies instead of life and death and the constant fear of discovery.
Our quarters were on the third floor of the residential wing, and I could tell by the abandoned leathers on one of the couches that Livia was already back from classes and changing for the meal.
I knocked before entering, a habit we'd all developed out of respect for each other's privacy. "It's us."
"Come in," came her voice, warm with affection.
We entered to find her standing before the small mirror, putting the finishing touches on her appearance. She'd changed from her stained Academy uniform into a simple dress of soft lilac that complemented her brown skin beautifully. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she'd somehow managed to erase all evidence of her afternoon spent scrubbing floors.
I caught Antonius's sharp intake of breath and had to bite back a smile. The man was completely hopeless.
"You look lovely," I said, settling into my usual chair.
"Thank you." She turned from the mirror, and I was struck again by how much lighter she seemed than she had in weeks. Whatever had happened with Jalend, it had done her good.
