“Oh. Thanks. Probably a good idea. I’d end up getting lost and wandering some place I shouldn’t.”
He didn’t smile, but a hint of one touched his eyes. Without a word, he slipped from the room and waited outside it before leading me down the corridor. With him as my escort, the palace guards paid us little mind.
“God, it’s so hot out here,” I said as we stepped beneath the blazing sun. There were no clouds. Just hot grossness. The blue sky, green grass, trees swaying in the warm breeze, and colorful flowers decorating the landscape were pretty though.
“Shall I escort you home?” Noah asked.
“Nah, I can take it from here.” I glanced back at Sawyer and Kuya, who had walked a short distance behind us, lost in their own little world as they quietly spoke. Hands still joined. “Watch over them, okay?”
“I always do.” Noah tipped his head to me. As he lifteditback up, that softness returned to his eyes. “You have my thanks for the cookies. I don’t often indulge in treats. I never had the chance when I was a boy. The orphanage gave them to us on special occasions, like when celebrating Yule or during the Festival of Lights. But they were rare.”
“You grew up in an orphanage?” I asked. Maddox had a similar story. His mother had died after he was born, and his father had fallen during the war.
“Yes,” Noah answered. “The battle that took Captain Maddox’s father also took mine.”
“Against the kingdom of Haran,” I said, remembering.
“Yes.” His whiskey-colored eyes appeared lighter as the sun hit them, shining on his irises like pools of dark honey. “Be safe heading home.”
“I will.” With the exception of a few scrapes I’d no doubt get along the way, since I couldn’t go anywhere without falling at least once.
Peter and Alice could handle things for a bit longer though.
I had two men to see first.
***
The clinic was just as I remembered. Shelves of books, potted plants, and herbs hanging from a rack along the wall as they dried.
Briar stood at his crafting station, tinkering with a white stone, completely absorbed in his work. His brown hair fell forward, and he pushed his fingers through it before flipping to the next page of the big book beside him.
“Afternoon,” Thane greeted me from the table where he sat eating lunch. His shaggy blond hair had highlights now, a natural transition from his time beneath the summer sun. When he wasn’t inside working, he loved being outside. He liked insect hunting—but Thane only studied the bugs for a while, then set them free.
“Hey,” I said before looking at Briar. “How long has he been like that?”
“Too long,” Thane answered. “I tried getting him to take a break and eat something, but he justmhm’d me and kept working.”
“The protection spell again?”
Thane nodded. “The man is a perfectionist.”
Briar glanced up from the book, and the deep lines of concentration smoothed. “Evan?”
“The one and only.” With another step, I closed the gap between us and held onto his side. “How’s the spell going?”
“Better,” he answered with a thin, tired smile. “Yet, it’s still not strong enough.”
“Don’t give up. You’ll get there. I know you will. Remember what you told me before my café opened? Believe in yourself like I believe in you.”
Briar slipped both arms around me. “Seeing you is just what I needed.”
“Thane says you haven’t had lunch yet. Come on. Take a break. You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” Briar lifted his hand to my cheek. “Did you have a nice visit with the prince?”
“Yep.” I then told him about Sawyer’s offer for me to attend the ball.
“That’s excellent news!” Briar beamed with a smile. He took off his glasses and rubbed at his tired eyes. “We’ll celebrate this evening. Perhaps go to that tavern Maddox enjoys and have a drink. Such a wretched place, but the food is good. The ale is too.”
