“You probably would be in Special Forces,” she told him, and then told him what she knew about such thigs. “But not Brian. He’d be the one making sure the generals stayed in immediate contact with their superiors online. It’s technology.” She finally laughed at his perplexed expression. “Most men and women don’t join and don’t get called to fight. Brian is one of them. There.” She took in a gasp of air. “That’s who I left behind. Before him, Tom Eddings broke my heart. At first, there’s all this romance and then it fizzled into nothing and he decides he loves someone else.”
“And these are the men you wish to hurry back to?” he asked, his smile fading into something curt.
“Are they any different here?”
He cast her a playful smirk. At least, she thought he was being playful.
“That depends on the man, I would suspect.”
“Oh?” she put to him. “What about you?”
“I am not one for romance. But if I had a woman, I would put her first and not betray her.”
She worried there might be hearts coming out of her eyes. Why did hearing him talk about having a woman make her mouth go dry? And why did she believe him?
Because it was hard to keep a clear head around him. He exuded virility with every move he made. She was especially weak against his accent and the soothing resonance of his voice.
Where was Elia? Why had Kestrel just gone off with him anyway?
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the castle. Elia doesn’t understand how dangerous ’tis for you to be talking to others—”
“What? So I can’t talk to anyone?” She stopped and tugged on his sleeve to make him stop, too. “That’s not ok with me. Am I a prisoner here?”
“No. Why would you be?”
“But you want to keep me locked up?”
“Lockedaway,” he corrected as if that made all the difference. “Kept safe,” he started over. “You do not seem to understand the danger of what you say. Word travels fast, even without your pone.”
“Phone,” she corrected. “Yes, I know. I’ve already heard about Margaret, the maid. But not to deviate, do you think I’m stupid and will tell everyone the truth about where I’m from? I’m the one who could be burned.”
“But you do not have to tell them any truths, Kestrel. You have odd ways of thinking. Standing up to me and beating the laundry for Claire. I do not want tongues to start wagging about you.”
“You don’t think they’ll wag if youlock me away?” she demanded. “You just don’t want to be around me. You want to lock me away so you don’t bump into me around the castle.”
“That is not true,” he defended.
“No? Are you planning on avoiding me all day today the way you did yesterday?”
“Am I avoiding you now?” he countered sharply.
“Until you get me to the castle where you can lock me away.” She pushed out a feigned laugh. “Do you even get how that sounds? What’s next? You hit me over the head with a bat and drag me to your cave?”
“Since I left the bat at the wash house, I would say that opportunity has passed.”
She was quiet after that. He was clever and charming, and she didn’t want to be charmed.
“I have no intention on hitting you with anything,” he let her know when they reached the castle. “One thing you will find different here is me.”
“Then don’t lock me away. I’ll be more careful.”
He stared at her for a moment, thinking it over in his head. “Very well,” he said finally. “But no roaming around alone.”
“Then you’ll have to stay with me,” she said, knowing it was not what he wanted to do.
“I usually practice in the lists with the men at this time.”