I glance at Lin, who again swishes his hand through the air with another command.

The female hisses as she breaks past our party and hurls herself down the road.

I sigh. So stubborn.

Three men carrying a net bolt past us and sprint after her. They launch the net into the sky, where it spins through the slight breeze and drops neatly down on her even as she tries to scurry into the protection of the trees. She fumbles to the ground and groans, futilely thrashing against the weighted mesh.

Seeing that she’s trapped, I move closer. “Is this what you wanted? To look like a flailing fish? We can avoid any future scenarios like this, but you’ll have to listen…”

“Don’t come any closer,” she cries, trying to cut herself free. The others hover over her. She slices enough netting to squirm her upper body through, but I see her expression change as she realizes she’s cornered. There’s no way out.

“Look,” I say. “We don’t need to make this any more dramatic than it already is.”

She pushes back her hood, and I’m momentarily stunned as it falls past her hair. She’s…gorgeous. The kind of beauty that knocks a grown man to his knees. The kind a kingdom would worship.

Once again, I’m a thirteen-year-old child, ensnared by the fawn-like innocence of her eyes and the curiosity that blooms behind them. Oh yes, I remember this feeling.

Those brown eyes, now frenzied, lock on mine. Her thick, dark hair is disheveled, and it swings as she flings her body around in another attempt to free herself. I remember where I am. What she is to me.

Then she yells, “Don’t come near me, you plebeian thief! I mean it! Stay where you are!”

I cock my head to the side, her words pulling me away from her beauty. “Oh, come now, Idalia. Surely you know who I am?”

She stops writhing long enough to glance at my face. Her own fills with confusion.

I click my tongue. “Am I truly that forgettable?”

“I don’t waste my time memorizing the features of crooks. Especially ones that hail from Baelliles,” she spits and resumes her struggle.

“What about the ones who are extremely handsome?” I flash her a mirthless grin. Her eyes latch onto mine, and for a brief second, I sense she might agree with my quip.

Instead, she scowls, an interesting sight on such a beautiful face. “Touch me, and I’ll kill you.”

This makes me laugh. Her expression tightens. She must think I’m making light of her threats. I step even closer, leaning down so she can get a better look.

“Touch you, and it will kill us both,” I say quietly.

Her features still, and her eyes race between my own as if she sees a ghost. Her head knocks back in disbelief; her mouth falls open.

I nod with an amused smile.

“That’s right, Little Sparrow. It’s the man you almost married. Have you missed me?”