Page 10 of For the Strange and Surprising

“I’m going to request an escort. That way, I have another set of eyes on you when you let your mask slip.” He sounds so confident about catching me in a lie.

I glare up, noting that the ceiling is full of skylights. The water flows from one end to the other, like it’s rolling over the glass, but I’m still sure there is no glass there.

“Hopefully, the medic is better company,” I mutter, peeved because the prince has been a royal dick. “Quiet. Aware of personal space. Less touchy.”

Ecaeris looks over at me, a playful grin making him appear to be the male version of his mother. Amusement brightens the blue and amber patches of his irises.

“He’s not.”

I cut my eyes to glare at the prince. He’s pretty, and I am disgusted with myself for acknowledging that fact.

He knows it too.

I don’t like him, and I hate that he smiles bigger when he realizes what I’m thinking. He reads me too quickly. There are people I’ve known my whole life who still can’t read me as clearly as he has in the mere minutes I’ve been in his company.

“This way,” he directs, the humor thick in his eyes even as he puts his helmet back on.

The corridor we’re in is darker than the others I’ve been in, but I was too busy ogling Ecaeris with hostility to pay attention to where he was leading me.

“You may enjoy Talodus. He’s quiet, and he won’t touch you unless he’s trying to save you… or kill you. Good luck figuring out which option it is, though.”

The flippant way he talks makes me grind my teeth. I’m usually so cool, calm, and collected. It’s pissing me off that he’s crawled under my skin so fast. There have been no real introductions or get-to-know-you moments between the two of us, but he’s pressing all my buttons like he’s known me for years.

“Thank you so much for your kind words,” I say sweetly, faking pleasantries when I’d prefer to claw my eyes out.

He stops walking, pulling his helmet up to stare at me with shrewd eyes.

I find that appearing somewhat polite has thrown him off his assessment of me, even if I was a smartass. It isn’t what he’s wanting or expecting.

“Proceed,” I command, waving my hand in the direction he was already heading.

For being such a peaceful person, I really am stirring up shit with the wrong guy. I need to remember that I’m tired, hungry, and ill. That’s not his fault. I shouldn’t take my agitation out on him.

But he’s making it so easy.

“That’s not the right way,” he says in exasperation, taking a left instead of a right. “You’ll get lost if you go in those tunnels.”

“I’m sure I'll make it back just fine. After all, I have left a trail of blood behind me,” I retort, holding up my still bleeding arm.

It's a light trickle now, but it looks nasty. I feel the color drain from my face; I looked at it too closely. My right forearm is sliced wide open, nearly six inches, tissue and fat visible where we’re standing under a skylight.

The edges of the cut are jagged and messy. It’s deep, and only shock and adrenaline have kept me going. I sway on my feet as I try to block out the pain I’m suddenly feeling.

“Uhm... Ecaeris?” I call quietly, hoping he’s heard me.

“What?”

“How far are we away from the medic?” My voice sounds all sorts of panicked as I try, and fail, to tug my gaze away from my arm.

He backpedals to me, grabbing my hand to examine the wound. “Fuck. I didn’t realize it was that—”

I put my shaking left hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it. If you say what I’m thinking, then I’ll pass out again, and I don’t know if you’re strong enough to carry me out of... wherever the hell we are.”

Voices from the end of the corridor drown out his mumbled reply. I lock my gaze on his, hoping the swirling colors will keep me conscious. My breathing is labored and unsteady as my mind hazes over.

He removes my hand from his mouth and calls out, “Talodus? Can I borrow you for a moment?”

I press my back against the wall, close my eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply through my nose. The sight of blood always turns my stomach. I shouldn’t have looked, shouldn’t have held my arm up, but it’s too late. My head throbs. My vision tunnels. I know what comes next.