Page 53 of Oath of Rebellion
Chapter 19
EIRWYN STOOD JUST INSIDE, cloaked in shadows as the wind whipped up around Knox. The storm was moving closer. The wind tore his hood from his face just as lightning shot across the sky.
She gasped, her eyes widening. He glanced up at the sound, his green eyes meeting hers even as he reached for his hood and pulled it back up.
His expression was serious and resolute as he strode forward into the barn and out of the wind. She waited but as soon as he relit the lantern, she sent a small gust of wind to pull his hood back again.
Her jaw dropped as she stepped closer, her hand reaching up.
"What are those?" Her voice was breathless but she didn't care.
He scowled, backing away and pulling his hood back up over his head. "Nothing. Are you steady? We can make a run for the cottage before the storm breaks."
She seized the edge of his hood and tried to tug it away. "Let me see," she said in the commanding voice of a princess.
He ducked out of her reach, grabbing her hands and turning them both. He pressed her against the side of the stall, his body trapping hers.
She gasped, the lantern now falling directly on his face. He froze, his body going absolutely still.
"Don't order me around, princess. I'm not one of your servants."
No, he definitely wasn't, not the way he practically dwarfed her frame against the stall wall.
He had a strong jaw with a cleft in the chin, pouty lips that should be outlawed on a man, and freckles everywhere. His jaw was covered in short brown stubble, and his nose looked like it'd been broken a few times.
He was a hooded, mysterious, outdoorsy type who would fit in at the tavern. He was the exact opposite of the pompous dandies at court.
And yet there was something about him that drew her to the edge of insanity. He made her want to throw all her cautions in the wind and jump into his arms.
How many times over the past two weeks had she wanted to sneak into the forest and find him? She licked her lips, and his eyes drifted down to watch the movement.
"Please? Let me see," she asked softly.
Something flickered in his eyes that made her want to hold him and tell him it would be alright. A flash of vulnerability crossed his face, and a small, green tendril of gassy smoke came out of his nose.
Her eyes widened, and they both stepped back. Her heart raced. If he was anything like her brother, that smoke meant anger, and who knew what would happen next?
She waited with bated breath for Knox to freak out, but he just waved the air and forced the gas to sink to the ground. He pursed his lips and held his hands behind his back as he watched her warily.
Maybe it didn't mean anger and pain.