Page 54 of Dawn of Hope

He grins and leans against the tree, just inches away from me, and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll guard the entrance for you. Make sure no one peeks.” He gives me a wink and I can’t hide the blush rising in my cheeks.

“Same goes for you,” I say quickly, trying to hide how his words make images pop into my head of Dane peeking at me as I peeled myself out of these clothes.

Tila’s books have really been a bad influence.

I turn on my heel, not giving him a chance to say anything more, and head over to the shelves. I quickly grab what I need as I hear Dane’s footsteps fade down the tunnel toward the bathroom entrance.

I pick the farthest stall, just in case someone came back and needed the outhouse or something. I hang my towel and new set of clothes on the wooden pegs on the outside of the stall and step inside. I am not tall, so the walls of the stall give me a good amount of privacy, but I cannot imagine bathing like this with someone in the stall next to me. I stand on my toes to glance over the top, making sure Dane isn’tpeeking, as he said.

I slowly strip off my clothes and drop them into a pile just outside of the stall. I need to clean them and save them for when I return home. The light fabrics of the clothes here would not be warm enough to wear home. Once I am undressed, as if the island knows what I need, a steady stream of cool water flows out of the hollow branch above my stall, falling over my shoulders.

I groan as I lean my head back, running my hands through my hair and savoring the cool water on my overheated body.

I hear Dane clear his throat at the sound and I feel a flutter low in my stomach.

Maybe I can get used to shared bathing spaces.

I wash quickly, scrubbing off the entire day from my skin. Once I am dry and dressed, with my dagger tucked in the back of my waistband, I make my way back down to the main passage, only to find Dane standing at the bottom of the steps, holding a plate of food.

“I know it’s been a long day, and the time doesn’t exactly match up to Blackwood, so I figured you might be hungry.”

“Thank you, that was really thoughtful.” I take the plate from his hands and look it over. An assortment of fruits, nuts, and cheese is perfect for this heat.

“Of course.” His lips turn up at the sides just as I let out a yawn.

I am exhausted. The excitement and newness of the day has finally calmed, and I can’t help the wave of fatigue that comes over me.

“Since you probably want to get to sleep, what do you say we save the explanations for the morning? I can tell you everything when I show youthe island.” Dane reaches up and grabs a piece of dried fruit off the plate and pops it in his mouth.

“That’s probably best if you want me to remember anything you say.” I sigh deeply. “It’s been a rough day.”

“But I hope it got at least a little better, didn’t it?” He holds my gaze and I nod.

“Yes,” I say. “You’re right, it did.”

“Now let’s see if you can remember your way back.” He takes a step back so I can lead the way. It seems hard to get lost in a giant circle, but I manage to only make a wrong turn once. Eventually we get there, and Mara, whoever she is, still hasn’t returned.

“Mara must be at one of the safe houses. Looks like it will just be you tonight.”

Alone.

I know he and Storm are here, and anyone else who may have shown up while I was bathing, but they are all the way across the clearing. I’d never been alone before, without a handmaiden nearby or a guard standing just outside my door.

It feels…free.

I grin widely and feel as if a weight is lifted off my chest.

“Get settled. I’ll come get you in the morning, alright?”

“Sounds great.” I pause. I want to say more, but I also don’t want to say too much. I am still new to real friendship, and with Dane it already feels like too much, too fast. I’m tired and emotionally drained from today, and I don’t want that to influence my words. I stick with something simple.

“Thank you, Dane. I know I was pretty mad earlier about you lying to me, but you’ve been so kind and thoughtful. Just…thank you.”

His lips turn up at the ends and he takes a step closer, enough that I have to tilt my head back to see his face. He reaches forward slightly, taking my hand in his. His thumb caresses my skin, each stroke tingling and sending a shiver up my arm.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re here, Lennox. I’m glad I get to help you.”

A smile breaks across my face, and I can’t stop the thoughts creeping into the back of my mind. I want him to lean down and kiss me, but I can’t. I shouldn’t.