"Do you know that Ileus has a chest full of these books?" Kaizan said to Anastasia.
The girl stilled. Heat on her face spread to her neck and suddenly the sweater she was wearing felt like she was wrapped in flames. Feeling extremely inappropriate standing near him, she almost shrank. She gulped and peered at Ileus. But the man was looking pretty smug.
He shrugged and said with nonchalance, "Well, would you like to see those books, Ana? They are very interesting, I assure you."
"I do not want to see them. I assure you!" she snapped. Saying that Anastasia stomped away from there feeling so embarrassed that she hoped the ground would swallow her. But the problem was that her curiosity increased and before the ground swallowed her, she really wanted to see inside the book. What the hell was in that book? Only if she could peek a glance in it. She sighed and silently prayed to the ground to keep still.
There were just two tents and she noticed that Darla had slept in one of them. She made way to the other one. Thick mist was swirling around them and she couldn't help marveling at Ileus's ability. It was simply stupendous. The mist was rolling around them and not above. Why did he have the ability to burst into mist? As she walked to her tent, she saw that it had become very dark. She looked up at the night sky. She could see the hazy moon over which clouds drifted lazily as if threatening to block its beams to reach the land. Against the color of midnight velvet and surrounded by stars that dazzled as and when they peaked out of the clouds, it looked like a dream. Over the mist she could make out the dark shades of trees that rose high as if competing with each other to touch the clouds. Soft gusts of cool air made her shiver every now and then.
Faint light from the lantern placed outside on the ground filtered through the fabric of the tent and scattered dimly inside. It looked so beautiful, huddled up against snow. Anastasia took a lungful of misty air, rubbed her arms and walked inside her tent.
The scene outside would be permanently etched in her mind. She committed it to her memory wondering if she would ever be this free, this… happy?
She opened her boots and kept them in a corner. The journey of the day was tiresome. A hot water bath was something she would have loved. It reminded her of her bathroom and how Nyles used to give her a bath—Nyles, her childhood friend, her betrayer. Anastasia stopped the tears that were stinging her eyes and making her vision blurry. With a deep sigh, she slipped under the fur. What would she do now?
In two days or less they would reach Óraid and Anastasia didn't know how she would go about it. Kaizan had said that he had contacts there. She would ask him about it and then set off on her journey. She had to find Iona. Her thoughts were interrupted when Ileus came and lied beside her. He covered her with his fur too and then turned to face her.
"What are you thinking Anastasia?" he asked as he cradled his head over his palm. "And why do I sense fear in you?"
She looked into his two golden eyes. He was watching her intensely. "Do you think that we might encounter the dark prince in these wilds?"
His brows drew together.
"I mean he is a rogue and who knows that he has a group of rogues with him. They might attack us now that we have also burnt a hearth. He might get attracted to smoke and follow its trail."
A low rumble formed in his chest and he laughed. "I don't think that is the case."
"Why Ileus? It could be. We can't deny the possibility."
He turned over, stretched his hand to the belt that he had removed, which sheathed several daggers and took out the one which belonged to her. Giving it to her, he said, "Keep that beneath your fur. It is too sharp."
She caught its encrusted pommel quickly and tucked it under her roll.
"Do you feel safe now?" he asked.
She chuckled. How could she say that she always felt safe with him?
"If the dark prince tries to attack you, kill him," he said, looking at her with a serious expression.
"I have heard he is a wizard. Would he die if I stabbed him?"
"Make sure to stab him in the heart. Because if he attacks you, he deserves to die."
Anastasia's lips parted and her heart skipped a beat at his words. She took her hand out of her fur and cupped his cheek. Ileus leaned into it and kissed her palm. Then he turned to look at her again.
"You have been very sweet to me Ileus," she said as her gaze darted between his eyes and lips. All that he did for her, all that he did to her—it was all going to be a beautiful memory and she will carry it with her to her grave. "It will be difficult to part with you…"
Ileus took his hand out of his fur and curled it around her nape in that possessive way. A growl formed in his chest and he shifted her closer to him. Leaning his forehead against hers, he said, "No Anastasia. It's you who has been sweet to me." He wanted to speak more, but he couldn't. Removing the barrier of fur between them, he pulled her closer to him and as if that wasn't enough, he pulled her over his chest. She curled into him and smelled him. Like two pieces of a puzzle, when their bodies were entangled, he pressed a kiss on her head. His hand trailed to her back until the curve of her hips. He cupped her hips and asked, "I remember you saying that Nyles stole the dagger from you."