And it could not be denied I’d learned instantly never to do that again for he’d stood there, staring at me in that brooding way of his (that was ridiculously attractive, and I wished it was not). He did this silently. And when I’d blown through my anger (something that happened quickly, it was difficult to keep yelling at someone who did not yell back), he’d waited what had to be at least a full minute, as if allowing me that time to carry on yelling at him should I have more to say, before he’d said not one word and he’d walked away.

He’d never mentioned it again.

I hadn’t either.

Then again, we’d barely spoken since.

And the cold draught that had started gusting between us when I’d thoughtlessly (albeit, I would repeat, innocently) reminded him of the loss of his wife flourished into a chilly gale that seemed to be blowing us further apart with each passing day.

This was a problem and not simply because he was to be my husband, and after he became that we needed to fight side by side to save Triton from the clutches of an unknown but entirely feared entity.

But because I liked him.

Yes, I, a Nadirii, in fact, a Nadirii princess, liked him.

A man.

An Airenzian man.

Our mortal enemy.

Indeed, the Airenzian man for he was not only prince and future king of that realm, he was prince regent, thus essentially acting king.

But I liked him.

He was brooding, and when he wasn’t that, he was wry.

But he was also a very good kisser and not hard at all to look upon and something about being around him, regardless if we hadn’t had much time together and nearly the entirety of it we quarreled, I felt…

Alive.

Alive in the way I’d never felt before.

I had not had that feeling for long.

But it was such that not having it any longer, I missed it.

Therefore, these past days I’d become brooding.

And in that brooding I’d formed a plan.

Tonight, I would follow through with it.

I considered extinguishing the lanterns, which I suspected he waited for me to do before coming to the tent. However, I thought this was a tactic I should not employ for it was a falsity, lying in wait to spring my plan on him, making him think I was asleep before I did that.

Due to Aramus and Ha-Lah taking a detour to the sea, we were riding so slowly to Notting Thicket, it wasn’t like we needed hours of solid rest before enduring a grueling trek the next day.

But everyone needed sleep.