Chapter 12 #2
"Do you know I love horses?" I say conversationally, the admission prompting a strange look from him.
"You do? Would you like me to buy you one?" Malakai asks.
"Oh," I say, at a loss for words. "I'm not quite sure how to respond to that."
"You say yes or no," he replies matter-of-fact.
"Well, I'm not sure that I'll have a great need for a horse. In your castle, is there even a place for one?"
"I could very easily make a place for a horse if that is what you wish."
Something about the way he says it—he doesn't dismiss me, just simply wants me to be happy—warms my heart in a way that surprises me.
"What?" he asks, and I realize I'm staring at him.
Flustered, I turn back towards the town. "Why don't we walk and see what there is to see?"
No sooner have I said those words, my stomach grumbles.
"You're hungry," he says.
"Yes, I am," I tell him.
"We should eat."
"We should," I agree, perplexed and amused by his blunt way of speaking.
"What sounds good to you?"
"I don't know," I say. "Why don't we walk and see what there is to see?"
He considers this for a long moment, then nods his head in acquiescence. "Why not?"
And with that, we set off down the road, my sturdy shoes and thick woolen socks protecting my sore feet. “I don't think I've ever been quite so grateful for a pair of sensible shoes,” I say as we walk into town.
"You like them," he says.
"I do indeed," I tell him, and I hold up my skirts so that he can look at the strange little laced boots that the witches of the Wild Oaks have so generously provided me with.
It isn't until his fair skin flushes with color that I realize that he's old-fashioned, enough where me showing my leg might have simply overwhelmed him.
"Did I upset you?" I ask him.
He looks at me very seriously. "What I am right now could not be described as upset."
"You aren’t?" I’m confounded by this pronouncement.
"Precisely," he says. And then he smiles.
Or tries to.
I peer at him. "Then why do you look like you've swallowed a lemon?" I tilt my head. My stomach growls again, and I place a hand over it, willing it to be quiet.
"Because I very much would like to see everything else you have under that skirt, but I know that you require..." he says altogether stiffly.
A laugh threatens to burst out of my mouth and I do my best to swallow it, knowing that he'll be offended if I laugh at his heartfelt admission.
Unfortunately for me, his heartfelt admission makes my stomach flip in a way I'm completely unaccustomed to.
I don't quite know what to say after that, and an awkward silence falls between us as we continue our jaunt into the center of the Wild Oak Woods.
Before long, the awkwardness is almost forgotten; sheer excitement takes its place.
The Wild Oak Woods is even better on foot than it was from the vantage point of yesterday’s carriage. The closer we get into town, the more storefronts there are, and the more people.
And people who are not people, er, not human, at all.
A curvy, brown-haired woman walks by herself, holding a wicker basket aloft as though she plans to do her shopping.
"Excuse me," I say, practically skipping over to her. "Can you tell me where a good place to have lunch is?"
"You must be new here," she says, shading her eyes against the autumn sun. "I have to recommend Longleaf Brews, of course. Best tea in town."
"I am new here," I agree. "I'm Aveline. It's nice to meet you."
She smiles at me. "I'm Rosalina. I'm the owner of Familiar Finds," she tells me. "And who's—who are you?"
Malakai looks taken aback to even be addressed.
Something in Rosalina's face changes.
"No need to answer," she says, dipping her head. "Hash told me that you were in town, and I saw you just yesterday." Rosalina gives me a long look. "I saw you yesterday too."
"Yes," I say agreeably, slightly upset that we've been found out so soon. "I suppose anonymity was too much to ask for.” I glance back at Malakai’s imperious dark form.
"I'm part of the coven," she says, smiling at me sweetly. "I would walk you to Lila's—that’s the woman who owns Longleaf Brews, but I'm afraid I have shopping to do before I have to get back to my own store. Do you have a familiar yet?" she asks abruptly.
I stare at her. "I think so."
Just then, Ter squawks, dive-bombing me just enough to mess with my hair before settling on one of the lampposts lining the street.
"That's Ter," I tell her.
"How do you do, Ter?" Rosalina says to him sweetly.
"I'd be better if these two would finally get married," he answers in an acidic tone.
I stifle a laugh at the shocked expression on Rosalina's face.
"He talks.” Her brown eyes are huge in her face.
"Too much sometimes," I respond. "Wait," I pause. "Does your familiar not talk? Is that not how familiars act?" I hadn’t heard the fox last night, but I just assumed Wren lucked out with a more sedate familiar than my Ter.
"Not usually." Rosalina’s words are slow, like she’s thinking hard. "I'd love for you to come by so we can discuss this more. I’d love to speak to you, too, Ter."
“I’m sure you would, witch,” Ter says rudely.
I sigh. “Sorry. He’s rude to me, too.”
Rosalina grins at me. “Familiars aren’t anything but what their witch needs.”
At that Ter perks up considerably, ruffling his feathers and examining Rosalina with renewed interest.
Malakai makes an irritated noise as my stomach growls again.
"My betrothed is hungry," he says. "We will come visit you when her hunger has been sated."
"All right. Well, you'll find Longleaf Brews at the very end of the main street. Go past the town square and you can’t miss it. She has something for everybody, even for someone like you," Rosalina says brightly, speaking directly to Malakai now.
I'm not sure what she means by that, but I thank her all the same.
"Good luck, Aveline," she tells me. "I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you."
With that, a small animal of some sort pops out of her apron pocket, chittering away as she hushes it.
"All right, well, it looks like we're headed the right way, at least," I say to Malakai with false cheeriness.
“Are you sure you can walk that far without eating first?” he asks, looking dour as he pulls at the collar of his shirt.
"When was the last time you wore anything but your leather lingerie?" I ask him.
He drops his hand and gives me a long look.
"Are your clothes bothering you?" I poke at his sleeve.
"I'm fine," he says in a dark tone.
"You don't seem fine. In fact, you seem very much not fine."
"Would you prefer I took my shirt off so that I could hold you against my chest again?" he says, his voice hoarse.
"How dare you," I say, almost completely outraged at the idea until I notice he's holding back what can only be described as a grin. It makes him look younger, and I stare up at him for a long moment, trying to get my bearings.
If I have to be saddled with someone—especially someone as powerful as Malakai seems to be—at least he is unbearably handsome.
Fate, it seems, did get that right.