Page 40 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
Chapter Twenty-One: Rhea
Candlesarelitallaround the lower level of the tower the next night as I wait to hear the knocks on the door from the guard. He had dropped a note off this morning claiming he was happy I accepted his groveling and to expect him this evening. Since he already knows about Bella, I don’t make her move from her spot on the floor next to the couch. Her head is propped up on her crossed front paws, taking away from the vicious image she had portrayed the last time Flynn was here.
“We need to be nice to him when he comes over. Okay, Bella?” She opens one eye to look at me, the act making me smile. “He might be the key to our escape,” I confess in a hushed voice, like I’m worried my secrets will be carried on the wind directly into the king’s ear. I’m not taking chances either way.
My nervous energy has me pacing back and forth, the old wood floors creaking with my steps. Anticipation at what I plan to do eats at me. I’m doing what I have to in order to escape, something I know Alexi would be proud of me for. I also remind myself that earning the guard’s trust enough to get him talking about where other guards are stationed and their shifts around the tower, as well as the king’s schedule, might take time.
There is a part of me that mourns the opportunity to have a real friend for the first time in my life. Though maybe I can still get practice with talking to others and building my social skills, even if itisunder false pretenses with Flynn. I clear my throat, thinking about how odd it is to refer to him by something other than “the guard.”
His knocks on the door pull me from my thoughts as my heart unceremoniously kicks up its beats. Blowing out a breath, I roll my shoulders back and plaster on the best semblance of a smile I can, while knowing on the inside that I am pretending. No, that I amlying.And while something small inside of me dies a little at that admission, it’s not enough to stop me from doing what I need to.
Pulling the door open, I’m first hit with his scent. That unique crisp aroma that somehow smells like fallen leaves. It knocks me off balance, and just as I’m about to pull myself together again, the door opens the rest of the way. The composure that I worked so hard to craft starts cracking when his face comes into the light, a grin stretching his full lips. His dark eyes gleam with the reflection of the firelight from the torch in the hallway. He lifts a cocky brow as if he somehow knows he’s thrown me off course. Both of his hands are behind his back, and I have an indescribable urge to reach around and grab them to see what he’s hiding.Focus.
“Hello, Rhea,” he says, and my body shivers in response. My name on his lips shouldn’t be an experience that leaves my knees weak. If he notices my reaction, he doesn’t show it. “Can I come in?” he requests, his deep voice like dark chocolate melting on my tongue.
Gulping faintly, I step out of the way and open the door wider. Flynn’s impressive frame crosses through the doorway, and he immediately looks to Bella, his movements slowing until he’s standing a few feet away from her. “She won’t bite you,” I declare, closing the door. “Unless she thinks you are a threat, of course,” I tack on as I move to stand next to him.
“A threat to you or to her?”
“Both,” I clarify with a grin that is a bit more real than I mean it to be. Clearing my throat, I motion to where he still holds his hands behind his back. “I was told that there would be treats for me as part of your groveling.”
He laughs at my boldness but moves to set two small white bags down on the table. His large hands then start unbuckling the leather straps at his side that hold the chest and back pieces of his armor. He is actually wearing it today.
“What are you doing?” I ask slowly, eyeing his motions like he’s planning to strip everything off in front of me.Would that be so awful?The shift in my thoughts momentarily shocks me before I shake my head, as if to dissipate an imaginary fog.
He pauses, looking over at me with a wry smile. “Would it bother you if I took this armor off? It’s just incredibly uncomfortable and limits my movements.”
“Are you expecting to need your full range of motion while you are here, Flynn?” I ask in amusement. He stills as soon as his name is past my lips, his eyes fluttering shut for a split second before he’s back to unbuckling his armor again. The moment was so quick that I briefly wonder if I imagined it.Did I say something wrong?
When he gets the three straps on his other side undone, he lifts the golden armor over his head and leans it up against the stone wall. Next, he unstraps his sword and lays it beside his armor. Even without the bulkiness of that little bit of armor, he still fills the room how I imagine a warrior would from the books I’ve read. The black tunic he wears does nothing to hide his muscular physique. I quickly draw my eyes away as he turns to walk to the couch and takes a seat like it’s the most natural place in the world for him to be. Meanwhile, I stay standing where I am, a bit dumbfounded as I watch him pull the bags on the table closer. He starts unraveling the rolled paper material of one until it’s open.
“I brought something for your fox? Is it okay for me to give it to her?”
“You brought something for Bella?” I stupidly repeat.
His eyes crinkle as his laugh weaves into the darkness between us. “I did. I hope that is okay?” At that Bella perks her ears up and lifts her head. Her snout starts making sniffing noises before she stands up fully and walks cautiously towards him. “Can she understand what we’re saying?” he asks with a curious look.
I’m still standing like an idiot with my mouth open, hands on my hips, as I surmise that I’ve lost control of the situation. I’m not sure I ever had it to begin with. Without waiting for me to answer, Flynn takes out a small cookie from the bag and holds it out to Bella in his massive palm.
“It’s a cookie made with ingredients safe for animals. The bakery mostly caters to domesticated dogs and cats, but there should be no reason that your fox—Bella—can’t have one.” I watch as Bella waits all of two seconds before she takes the treat from his hand with her mouth. Her tail wags joyfully as she chews. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I told her to be nice to him. “I think she likes it,” he grins, reaching out to scratch under her chin. I expect her to back away or move her head out of his grasp, but the fox instead leans into his touch.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I grumble under my breath as he pulls out another cookie. When she’s finished all of the ones in the bag, she contentedly lays on the ground near his side of the couch. My eyes narrow at her, and I mouth the word “traitor” as she watches me walk over to take a seat on the couch. She huffs a breath and then lays her head down, apparently not caring for my theatrics and ready for a nap now that her belly is full. “So this was your plan,” I say as I take a seat a few feet away from him, “to feed my fox treats so she would like you? Then when you inevitably do something to upset me again, she won’t attack you?”
Flynn barks out a laugh, pulling the other bag closer on the white table. “More or less,” he responds, smiling proudly and then adding, “though I’m hoping not to make you upset in the first place.”
I can see the truth of his words when his eyes meet mine, the glowing sincerity in them playing with an unfair advantage in what is supposed to bemygame of pretend. He laughs again as I groan; he likely finds the exasperation in it funny, while I’m just trying to regain my equilibrium around him.
“Have you ever had a triple-chocolate brownie?” He pulls out a rectangular dessert from the bag and hands it to me. I try to ignore the way my skin tingles with awareness when our fingers brush.
“I haven’t,” I reply, holding the treat up close to my face as I eye it. Chocolate chunks in three different colors are layered throughout, the candlelight surrounding us making them all glisten.
“These aren’t quite as good as the ones back home, but they are a pretty close second,” he says before taking half his brownie with one bite. From the corner of my eye, I find myself briefly watching his tan jaw work as he chews before hastily turning my attention back to my own brownie. Taking a small bite, I nearly gasp as the brownie begins to melt in my mouth. Flynn laughs, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “That is the smallest bite I have ever seen someone take out of one of these,” he says jovially, and his delight is nearly enough to bring a smile to my own face. “What do you think?” he inquires after a few moments.
I hum, closing my eyes as I continue chewing, slowly savoring each and every flavor that plays on my tongue. It’s so decadent and rich that I’m not sure I’ll taste anything as good ever again. When I’m finished with my bite, I have to restrain myself from taking another before I answer him. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had before. It might be even better than lemon loaf, and I really thought nothing could top that.”
He beams at me, somehow looking even more defined and handsome under the flickering gleam of the candles. A ridiculous part of me suddenly wishes I could spend my days just studying his face. I imagine I wouldn’t ever find a single flaw.But that is not what my future holds.Cold realization brings me back to the present moment and my end goal. I need to befriend this guard only so that I can get any information he might have that could help me escape, nothing more. I set the brownie down, knowing I will get completely lost in its chocolatey goodness and abandon everything else if I continue indulging.
“You said these aren’t as good as the ones back home. Where is home for you?” I query.
