Raising her brows, she appraised him again. “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-three, why? You interested?” He looked over, wiggling his eyebrows.
Before she could think twice about the consequences of insulting him, she scoffed. “Not even remotely.”
She immediately regretted the words and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, prepared for the verbal slap she was sure to receive. Most of the guards she’d watched train were quick to anger and chose violence for even the smallest transgressions against them.
Vera was not expecting the loud, bubbling laughter that burst out of his lean body. Several of the men riding in front of them turned their way, drawn to the noise. She made eye contact with a few and shrugged, unsure as to why he was laughing.
She looked at him hesitantly. Trey didn’t seem like any other guard she’d observed so far, and she found herself liking him already.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman with a sense of humor before.”
“What, you expected us to lack it just because we have breasts?” His eyes widened comically, and his eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. “Besides, who said I was joking?” she continued, looking down her nose at him.
Finally regaining a semblance of control over his expression, he shook his head and chuckled. Taking advantage of his companionable presence, she asked, “So who is everyone else? Have you all worked together long?”
Although he appeared a little baffled at her interest, he pointed and named each guard, working his way toward Prince Eithan. “The two closest to his highness are his first-in-command, Wes Coleman, and his second, Ryn Hayes. Coleman is a quiet one, tends to keep to himself. Hayes on the other hand…well, to be blunt, he’s a shady motherfucker.”
She frowned. “Then why have him guarding the prince’s back?”
Trey shrugged, “He’s the best bowman the capital has seen. He’s a loyal guard, but I wouldn’t recommend telling him any of your jokes.”
They spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon riding together and talking on and off to pass the time. Besides their somewhat awkward start, she found herself enjoying his company.
Mostly she questioned him about his years of being a guard while dodging his inquiries about herself the best she could without raising suspicion. Anytime the questions got too personal, she’d steer the conversation back to something safer, like her assistance in the armory.
Trey didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t care. He was lively and had an ornery sense of humor. He seemed too young and carefree to be a guard, but she knew he had to be highly skilled to be handpicked at such a young age.
Vera hadn’t truly realized until then just how lonely her life was. Sure, she had Elric, and she respected him immensely, but this had been the longest conversation she’d ever had with someone close to her age.
As the sun began to set, Trey finally pushed forward to the front. They were less than an hour from Kilmire, and all the guards closed ranks to ride protectively around the prince. The town was completely loyal to Emperor Matheris, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Elric dropped back to ride next to her for the first time since they’d broken for lunch earlier in the day. He’d lectured her about talking so openly with Trey, but she’d only half listened. She knew she’d probably never see him again once they returned, but her heart refused to care, swelling as the possibility of friendship was dangled in front of her.
It was almost completely dark by the time they’d stabled their horses and entered the inn. She watched Prince Eithan speak to the innkeeper and realized he didn’t plan on revealing who he was at all. He simply asked for one room for “the lady” and three rooms for the rest of their party.
She was stunned. He hadn’t so much as said two words to her but had requested an entire room just for her. She looked around at the men, expecting hostile behavior, but none of them paid her any mind as they trudged up the stairs to their shared rooms.
Trey caught her eye as Elric held up the key to her room, “If you get cold, you know where I’ll be.” He aimed an exaggerated wink her way.
Speaking to Elric, she tilted her head in Trey’s direction and said, “You hear that? Trey over there could use a cuddle buddy.”
To her delight, Elric didn’t so much as roll his eyes. Twisting so he faced him completely, he said, “I’ll be up as soon as I’m done getting Vera settled. Try to snag us the bed by the door.”
Trey’s head reared back, and Vera feared his eyes might actually fall out of his head. He stuttered a reply they couldn’t make out before practically sprinting up the stairs.
Unable to keep a straight face any longer, Vera burst out laughing so hard, she thought her chest might explode. Wiping her eyes, she glanced at Elric to catch a smile on his face. He turned, and she followed him up to her room, soft chuckles still escaping her lips.
The room was small and simple, much like her room at home. Standing near the doorway, she stared at the bed, trying to decide if she possessed the energy to wash before sprawling on the mattress in a very unladylike way.
“You need to be careful, girl.”
She glanced at the bed again before looking at Elric with a raised brow. “Of the bed?”
He crossed his arms and looked knowingly at her. She sighed. She knew what he meant, but she didn’t want to talk about it.
“I know. And it’s really not what you think, Elric. It’s just been nice to talk to someone.” She couldn’t keep the longing from her voice, and she cleared her throat before plopping down on the bed.
She busied herself with tugging off her boots. Her entire body hurt, and she knew she’d wake up even more sore and chafed.
“A girl your age deserves friendship, and I want that for you. But I also want to keep you safe.” He gave her shoulder a light pat before leaving and quietly shutting her door.
Finally alone, she tried to busy herself by scrubbing a wet cloth over her face and arms, but the quiet seemed to stretch on. After being surrounded by other people all day, it felt weird to suddenly have nothing but silence surrounding her. She curled up on the bed, both physically and emotionally exhausted.
Elric was right, she did need to be careful because she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to go back to being locked up in the armory anymore. She wanted more.
Chapter 6
VERA