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She chews on her bottom lip for a moment before answering. “I only wanted to say thank you. For saving my life, I mean. I know I’ve probably seemed ungrateful, and probably a nuisance with making sure you’re alright, and I wanted to let you know that I’m not. Ungrateful, I mean. I’m absolutely a nuisance, though.”
Her lips press together and she fidgets with the hem of her shirt, twisting it so it’s lifted high enough to see a sliver of skin above her waistband. William found this shirt for her in one of the buildings here, which is a shame. I preferred her old shirt, the one that she ripped a third of the fabric off of. This one covers more of her again.
I grin at her, and she reels back like she’s been slapped, so I frown. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I’ve just…well, I didn’t know you could smile.”
My frown deepens. “I can smile.” To prove my point, I grin as wide as I’m capable of, showing a full mouth of teeth. “See?” I say, still grinning. “I can freaking smile.”
She laughs, a melodious sound that rings out. It’s a delightful sound. “You’ve got jokes, too.”
“Jokes and smiling, that’s what I’m all about.”
“Beneath the gruff exterior?”
“Deep beneath the gruff exterior.”
She laughs again and shakes her head before bending down and picking up sticks. “How much firewood are you wanting to collect?”
“None.”
“None? Then what are you doing?”
I can’t help it. I chuckle.
“Now you’re laughing too? You’re really freaking me out.”
“Guess I’m just chock full of surprises.”
“Okay, I’ll go now. Whatever you’re doing, don’t burst open your stitches or I’ll make the next re-stitch hurt even more.”
“Deal. And princess?”
She glances over her shoulder, her amber eyes looking up at me from beneath her long lashes.
“It’s a hobby I’m thinking about getting back to. Maybe I’ll show you sometime.”
For a few long moments she doesn’t say anything, and I fear I might have said too much. Then she graces me with the smile I’ve only seen her give to William. “I look forward to it.”
She’s gone almost as suddenly as she appeared, and I swing the axe on the split in the wood that William was working on right when he comes back.
“You really are impatient, aren’t you?” He grabs the axe from me before I can have another swing.
“Shit, I forgot.” I lift my shirt and am relieved to see there’s still no blood and the stitches are fine. I got lucky this time. “All clear. Emily just now told me that if I open them again, then she’s going to make the next time really hurt.”
“She was here?”
“Yeah, she thought I was the one swinging the axe around.” I laugh. “It was worth it to see her reaction. She wasn’t pleased.”
“I can imagine.” William swings the axe again until the piece of wood separates and I reach down to pick it up.
“Perfect,” I say, holding it in the air and turning it around. I have so many failed pieces in the car that I thought I’d given up on it. But then a sudden strike of inspiration hit me today, and I wanted to try something else.
“Here, you’re going to need this.” William hands over a knife, knowing that Emily took all of mine away as punishment for trying to save her and Max so soon after my ‘surgery’, as she calls it. It would normally piss me off to no end to be at the mercy of a tiny firecracker, but I’ve found myself craving more from her. Each time she does something that angers me, I want to do it again, but worse. It’s a strange sensation. “Anything else you need?”
“Keep an eye on her and don’t say shit about my stitches.”
“Can do. I’ve been thinking about hobbies myself.”
