Arranged (33 page)

WITH ONLY A MOMENT'S HESITATION, QWINN lowered himself into the grass beside her. Even though he wasn't touching her, he could feel her heat. It was making his mind go crazy. He had never reacted to her this way, even when she was in his arms as he carried her. He wanted to speak to her, but he had no idea what to say.

Every thought was racing at light speed through his mind. When he glanced at her, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she was smiling upwards. It put a few of his thoughts at ease. He didn't want to scare her, but now more than ever, he couldn't get enough of her. He knew he should keep an emotional distance, but he hadn't felt this way in a long, long time.

Deciding to shut his thoughts off, he tucked his arms behind his head and sighed, enjoying the moment. Alison held her hands up in the air, studying them. "What is this?" she asked as she rubbed her fingers around in the blue goo.

"Sap from the palnuss tree," he answered.

"I've never seen sap like this," she said in wonder, bringing her hand closer to her face. He felt the sudden childish urge to push her hand into her face; instead, he took it into his own and held her palm before his face. He gently dragged his finger across her palm, his heart leaping at the hitch he heard in her breathing. Perhaps, she was growing to like him.

"The sap has many powers when mixed with other plants," he said as he traced his finger over hers, fanning her five fingered hand over his four fingered one. Her hands were still smaller than his, even with the extra finger.

He could feel her shivering slightly and rolled partially onto his side, facing her. "Are you cold?" he asked. He was a fool and didn't even think to bring a blanket. Alison took her hand back as he shifted and shook her head. He noticed she was no longer looking at him.

"Tell me of your life on the surface," he asked, determined to get her out of her shy bubble and grow to be comfortable around him.

"There isn't much to tell that I haven't already told…" she mumbled.

"I don't mean about your family. Tell me about you."

She looked at him in confusion. He smiled down at her. She was absolutely beautiful, her hair a cloud of fire against the dark grass. She was so close that he couldn't help but gaze at her mouth, wondering what it would feel like against his. He blinked hard. "Tell me what you like to do, your favorite places to be, things like that."

She took a deep shuddering breath. It seemed that she was nervous. "I loved to walk through the woods surrounding my uncle's manor. Even when it was snowing outside, the trees looked so beautiful with snow," she said, steadily growing more comfortable with his closeness. "My uncle said there were wolves in the woods, but I never saw any." A smile bloomed on her face as she shifted to face him better. "I used to lay out by the pond after a swim and let the sun warm my skin. That's when I felt the most at peace with my life…in the sun…" her smile disappeared as she realized what she was saying.

Qwinn frowned slightly and she quickly backpedaled. "I didn't mean it like−"

He shook his head, quieting her. "It's alright. I can only imagine how much you miss the sun. I wouldn't know, because I tend to stay away from it." His black eyes met hers. "I'm sorry you cannot go back. If I could…" he trailed off.

She smiled sadly up at him. "Let's talk about something else." Suddenly there was a rustling in the grass beside them. Alison gasped softly, quickly moving closer to Qwinn, who was now propped up on his elbow, gazing into the grass. He hadn't heard anything unusual moving around them until that moment. But then again, he had been distracted by Alison.

He put an arm protectively around her quivering body as he scooted her closer. The rustling continued and he growled low in his throat. The rustling stopped. He growled again, his body tensing to spring. Alison tucked her face into his chest, trying to hide herself from whatever was out there. She gripped his sash in fear.

Qwinn narrowed his eyes, trying his best to see anything through the long grass that hid them. The bushes rustled once more, but this time as something ran away. As he spotted the animal he chuckled, his body relaxing.

Alison pulled back enough to see his face. She looked confused. "It was only an animal," he answered softly, lowering himself to a more relaxed position on his elbow. Alison cleared her throat and unclenched her fist from around his sash, scooting away while blushing. "I…"

Before she could get too far, Qwinn grabbed her hand. She stopped. He couldn't help his smile even if he wanted to. He kissed her hand and laid down again, his hand still in hers. After a moment, she laid again, staring at the bubble.

He could still feel her warmth against him, even though she had only been touching him for a few seconds. Perhaps he should have her scared more often. He almost chuckled aloud at the thought. There was nothing to worry about in the grove. No one knew where they were. For the moment, he could just be Qwinn.

Alison remained quiet for a while by his side. He wondered what she was thinking about. It was only a week and a half until his wedding. Would she be ready? Was she falling in love with him? She did seem more comfortable around him, but was that enough? For a moment, he wondered if any of the kings previous had thought as he was. He knew that the most one could hope for from a "taken" woman was her respect. The thought didn't sit well with him. He wanted more. He wanted something more than duty. He hoped that Alison would learn to see past his race and into his heart, which was beginning to ache for her.

When they returned to the palace, Alison napped. All of the walking they'd done had taken a lot out of her. Qwinn saw to a few details around his room while she rested. He took out the gifts he'd bought for her the day he'd gone to the market alone and decided he would give them to her today.

The aroma of dinner wafted through the air. Qwinn finished tidying, straightening an oil lamp in his room before heading off to Alison's room.

She was awake when he knocked. He found her sitting before her vanity, combing her long hair. He couldn't help but notice the smile that bloomed on her face at the sight of him. She stood, gripping the chair lightly for balance. "Hello."

"How did you sleep?"

"Well. I feel rested," her smile turned to one of amusement. When he looked at her questioningly, she made her way toward him, her eyes trained on his lips. For a moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl. He held his breath, his eyes took her in, from her freshly combed hair to her sweeping skirt that complimented her figure. When she stopped a few inches in front of him and reached her hand toward his face, his heart stopped all together.

Her fingers lightly swiped at something beside his mouth. When he realized that she hadn't meant to kiss him, he snapped himself out of it. On her fingers was a light trace of paalnus sap, glowing gently.

She giggled slightly and wiped her fingers clean on a cloth beside her bed. He forced himself to chuckle in order to stifle his disappointment. "I thought I had washed all of it away."

She tucked her dark red hair behind her ear and looked up at him shyly under her lashes.

He cleared his throat and pressed on in the conversation. "I was wondering if you would join me for dinner."

He watched in amazement as her smile bloomed once more. It seemed so easy and looked so natural on her face he would have never guessed that she had lived such a hard life.

"Yes."

He offered his arm, as a human would, and she accepted it, smoothing her skirt with the other. "You look…beautiful," he said, refraining from all of the things he wanted to tell her.

They walked through the halls until they reached his room. She frowned in confusion, remembering that during their tour, he'd shown her the dining room to be down stairs.

"I hope you don't mind, but I thought we could dine in my room."

She shook her head and he opened his door, letting her in. He had lit a few candles, along with the lanterns, in order to add more light. The lounge pillows were arranged around a small table that already held dinner. His room was not as intricately designed as Adalia's, but he too had good taste. He had a few expensive rugs hanging from the walls. As far as lamps and vases, he had long since stopped buying them due to the fact of his fits of rage. He shook his mind from his thoughts as he helped her onto a cushion.

She sank down with a sigh and eyed the plates displayed on the table.

ALISON'S EYES TOOK IN HER surroundings. His room was simply designed, but nicely decorated. Intricately weaved rugs hung from the walls. The pillows she was sitting on was made from the softest fabric she'd ever felt. He had one large window that was covered with a blue sheer curtain. Strangely enough, she noticed that there were no vases or pots with plants as she'd seen in the other rooms. There weren't even mirrors. His bed was huge and took up most of the nook it was placed in. She swallowed hard as she pulled her eyes away from the bed. She knew she had nothing to be nervous about; it was just dinner.

The table that sat before her was laden with delicious smelling food. She gladly turned her attention to this. She took a cup closest to her and sipped. A burst of flavor tingled her tongue and a sound of pleasure sounded from her mouth. Qwinn smiled at her. She couldn't help but notice that he'd pulled his dreadlocks back into a half up half down hairdo, accenting his strong jaw line. He wore a light blue sash. The color looked good on him.

She blushed at her thoughts. The next thing she knew, there was a knock at the door. It opened and Adalia waltzed in, a big grin on her face. Following her was the gentleman Alison had met at the tent. She sifted through her mind for a name. Vin!

As soon as Vin entered, Qwinn stiffened. The move was so slight, that if Alison hadn't known how he'd been standing a moment ago, she wouldn't have noticed. Adalia flopped gracefully onto the pillow across from Alison. "How was your night?" she asked, as if she hadn't spent the first half of the night with them.

"Fun," Alison answered. Surprisingly, she meant it. She watched as Vin bowed to Qwinn before cautiously taking a seat next to Adalia. Qwinn's eyes hadn't left Vin since he entered. As if sensing his mood, Adalia cleared her throat. "I thought we could make this dinner a date."

Alison lowered her eyes shyly and studied her hands. She'd never been on a date before. And since Adalia was obviously with Vin, that left Qwinn to be her date. The idea didn't scare her as much as it should have. Instead, a thought flashed into her mind. She worried if she was an acceptable date for
him
.

Qwinn's face remained emotionless as she watched him. Her worry escalated the longer he remained quiet. Then suddenly, his dark gaze found hers for the briefest moment. "Very well," he said, his tone not revealing what he was thinking.

He took a seat on the pillow beside Alison and motioned toward the food. "Help yourself."

No one moved for a moment then Adalia reached for a rolled pastry that Alison had learned was deliciously sweet and creamy. Vin waited politely by as Adalia ate. Qwinn too waited, glancing at Alison from the corner of his eye. Finally, she got the hint and reached for a bumpy looking ball of dough. The bumps melted in her mouth when she ate it and a warm soothing taste filled her.

Only after both women had food did Qwinn finally take some. And only after Qwinn had begun to eat did Vin help himself. The silence between the four of them hung in the air, almost tangible. Alison helped herself to some meat. All of the food prepared was delicious, she'd never tasted anything like it. Even though her Uncle Jackson was always high class and had finely prepared meals, they were nothing compared to a Vidarian feast.

Qwinn remained tense at her side. His eyes were practically glued to Vin, who ate carefully, aware that he was being scrutinized. Adalia watched Qwinn with a look of interest and annoyance. Finally, she broke the silence. "Tomorrow the women will be practicing for the festival. I would like Alison to be there."

Her comment caused Qwinn to meet her gaze. "I don't know if that is the best idea."

Adalia's eyes narrowed slightly. "You told me I could take her to the tents tomorrow."

He worked his jaw slightly and Alison dared to speak up. "You did say that I could," she added gently, not wanting to anger him more.

He turned his dark eyes to her now. She could see him warring with himself. Uncertainty flashed in their depths.

"She will keep a good eye on me," she tried to reassure him.

Adalia spoke up too. "You may join us, brother."

Qwinn frowned slightly, not looking away from Alison. "I will be training the soldiers tomorrow."

"Then you won't have to worry about me if I'm with Adalia," Alison said. She was growing bolder the more she grew to know him. She knew that with both her and Adalia's mind, they could convince him to let her go to the dancer's tent. She met his gaze straight on, waiting for his answer.

"Very well," he said softly. Immediately, a smile bloomed on her face. She was excited to learn about dancing. Her heart fluttered as his eyes lit slightly and his shoulders relaxed at her smile. Could it be that he liked her? It was obvious he was comfortable with her, but she found herself hoping deeply that he was more than just comfortable. To her great surprise, she wanted him to like her because…she liked him. Admitting that to herself gave her to goose bumps. The thought was made, there was no turning back.