14. Nice Haircut #3
The distant glimmer of it in the air was just as beautiful as it was last time.
She pushed off the window sill, mouth agape.
Positioned in secret around the caves were guards and knights.
Shouts echoed out as ten more druids—no, twenty—thirty— appeared in the training field, surrounding Rolim and Carissa and her dragon in a barrier.
It happened so fast.
The knights spilled from the caves and charged the druids. The dragon remained calm, downright sleepy even with cloaked druids surrounding them.
It grew darker and the shadows merged with the cloaks, blurring them all into one dark conglomeration from this angle.
As the knights met the line of druids, shouts and cries and the clang of swords and booms of magic filled the air, thrumming with the pulse of battle. Aaryn's eyes widened at the colorful magic, wincing as knights were sent flying, then stood to charge the druids all over again.
"Entertaining, isn't it?" a smooth voice drawled behind her.
Aaryn would have yelped, except a slim hand slid around her face to cover her mouth. "Oh, calm down."
Aaryn swallowed, but her fear faded as she recognized the voice, the audacity of that tone. She rolled her eyes.
Thea gently pulled her away from the window, and then paused, hesitating. But Aaryn already knew she wouldn't be calling for her guard.
"You must be warming up to me," Thea mused, and removed her hand.
Aaryn spun to face her, and the world seemed to pause for just a moment. The battle outside was distant as Thea stood before her.
Here, in her rooms, Thea wore a dark cloak just like the druids on the field.
It made her seem intimidating, especially with her cool expression and shorn hair and that slash in her brow.
Braids no longer swung around her temples with each step.
Instead, choppy, shaggy edges made up the shape of her hair, tickling her cheeks.
Just like in her visions.
"Maybe I just no longer see you as a threat." Aaryn tried to match Thea's energy. Unbothered. Cool-headed. Prepared.
But Aaryn always felt off kilter around Thea, unsure of her footing.
In the past, it stemmed from the uncertainty of boundaries, of offending the knight or being too forward in her shy desires.
Now it was because Aaryn was uncertain if Thea was as dangerous as she looked.
"Somehow I doubt that," Thea murmured.
Excitement struck deep in her belly, her pulse leaping against her throat.
Did she have a sword beneath that cloak? Her favorite dagger?
Aaryn's own dagger lay on her desk, but even if she had it… what should she do? Stab Thea?
No. Aaryn couldn't do that. So she might as well see what the druid had to say.
"What do you find so entertaining about this?" Aaryn asked, tilting her head to the left to motion to the battle. She tried not to flinch at the pops of magic, and resisted the urge to turn her head from Thea to see it for herself.
Thea smirked, and stared out the arched window without the same restraint as Aaryn. "Watching them fight for something they'll lose," she drawled.
Aaryn's cheeks heated—anger on behalf of the knights below, or because of the purr in her expectations? "What do you want?"
Thea shrugged. "What do you think?"
Aaryn didn't answer.
"I want to give you another chance to do what's right. Come with me. To Starspark." Thea made it sound so easy.
Thea's words to Starspark flitted through her head. I'll bring her back to you tomorrow.
Each thump of Aaryn's heart felt as devastating as the thunderous battle on the field. "What would happen to me? If I came with you."
Thea's gaze leapt to her, a small smile attempting to curl her lips. "Are you afraid of me?"
The druid advanced toward her, and Aaryn said, "No," even though she backed away.
Step by step, Aaryn tried to avoid her. It was a dance with no music but for the thump of her heart, until Aaryn could go no further, until she knocked into the chair. It thunked into the desk, and Aaryn stilled, wincing at the sound, eyes flitting toward the door.
The realization struck her then. She didn't want Thea to get caught. She didn't want to alert her guard. She didn't want them to be interrupted.
A part of her tried to rebel against it.
Her dagger was within reach. She should put her lesson to use—Aaryn reached behind her, but Thea was faster. The druid leaned over her, slapping her hand atop the sheathed dagger and pinning it to the surface of the desk.
"Nah-ah," she cooed.
Her warmth covered Aaryn and she swallowed, composing herself.
"Get off me," she bit out, glancing up at her.
Scant inches separated them, and while Thea and Aaryn were of similar heights, it felt as if Thea towered over her in this moment, that perfect freckle so very clear on her jaw.
Their gazes met, lingering, searching. Aaryn was looking for a reason to trust Thea. She wondered what Thea sought.
Then her attention trailed lower, and Aaryn became viscerally aware of her wardrobe.
She had been too concerned about the attack to commit to dressing for bed, but she was not made up in full, either.
A simple tunic over a pair of trousers. No corset or stays, and without the extra layers of protection, she felt downright vulnerable.
Especially in front of Thea, for some reason.
"You going to use it?" Thea asked, skating her fingers over the back of Aaryn's hand, the hilt of the dagger beneath it. The dance of her fingers over her skin was downright sensual, and something persistent yanked behind Aaryn's navel.
Aaryn steadied herself and glared up at her as her arm began to ache from the awkward angle. "Nice haircut. Shall I give you another?"
Thea's lips quirked, and the flash of humor made something flutter in Aaryn's chest. Then Thea glanced past her, and Aaryn followed the direction of her attention, to…
the sheath. Their cheeks almost brushed, too close for Aaryn to clearly see even the freckle on her chin.
Aaryn… let Thea take the weapon from her.
Forgot everything the prince had taught her.
Wasn’t sure if she wanted to remember, right then.
"Helps if the blade is free," Thea murmured as she stepped away. "Like this."
The hiss of the blade against the sheath was loud in the room, and then Thea held it between them, hilt first. Like an offering.
“Do it,” Thea said, and pressed the tip of the blade into the heart of her armor. Armor which… shone, glimmering beneath the robe. Were those… scales? “I dare you.”