“Aileana…” Xander’s voice trailed off as he seemed to lose his train of thought.
I stared at him, questions swirling in my mind.
Why did he do it? Save a female he hated? He could have been rid of me and no one would have blamed him. No one other than Daegal and Jo even knew I existed.
But he did it. He saved me. And that meant something. Something I didn’t want to deal with. Not right now. Maybe not ever.
So instead, being the very mature elf I clearly was, I coughed and looked up at the male crouched beside me. “I suppose I should thank you for saving my life after you tried to kill me.”
Xander’s face hardened before my eyes. His jaw tightened and a look of anger flashed across his eyes. He snapped, “I wasn’t trying to kill you. How was I supposed to know you couldn’t swim?”
“I—”
He held up a hand, his jaw clenched as he glared at me. “Nope, not yet. You don’t get to speak yet.”
“You can’t tell me what to do!” I yelled, struggling to push myself up on my elbows. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, my body decided to give out. I collapsed to the ground as Xander loomed above me. Even crouched on the ground, his size was impressive.
“Aileana,” he hissed. “I’mnotready to talk about this. I’m soaked and shivering. We are unprotected in the woods and everything we have is back in the clearing. Not only that, but I know that no matter how poorly I’m feeling, you are in a worse state. So here’s what we’re going to do.”
I crossed my arms, glaring at him. It was difficult, being serious while lying on the ground in a soaked dress, but I thought I pulled it off nicely as I said, “You’re being bossy again.”
“Too bad,” he growled. “You brought this on yourself.”
“How so?” I knew I was pushing Xander’s buttons, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop myself. This wasn’t me. I was Aileana, the king’s pet. I listened and did what I was told. Pushing back wasn’t something I did. But with him… arguments just slipped out of me.
Xander huffed. His face was nearly as red as a rain berry as he clenched his fists at his side. Even on his knees, he looked ominous. “This morning, I woke up with every intention of being kind. I told myself, ‘Xander, maybe you misjudged this female. Perhaps she has a reason for being so rude. Give her a chance.’”
“You—” I started, but Xander continued speaking right over me.
“Nope. That was this morning. I was being kind, and you decided to repay my kindness by shoving me in the river. So that plan is out the window. Now you’re going to listen.”
I stared at him, my eyes wide as my nostrils flared. The absolutegallof this male. I exclaimed, “Gods! You are so bossy! I hate when you act like this. Why won’t you let me speak?”
I went to push myself to my feet, but by the time I was merely sitting, Xander had crossed his arms and was glaring at me.
The infuriating male said, “We’re going to go back to the clearing, get our things, and head back to the cavern. Once we’re there, you’re going to tell meexactlywho you are. You will tell me about the memory that had you in tears this morning. You will answer my questions. No more half-truths, evasive answers, or lies. I want theentire story.”
“Why would I do that?” I shook my head. “You can’t force me to talk to you.”
He shoved himself to his feet, huffing. “Goddess. I cannotstandthis female.”
“The feeling is mutual, you big oaf.”
A sound of completely male exasperation escaped Xander’s lips as he ran his hands through his damp hair, pushing it back from his head. He turned back to me, glaring as he shook a finger in the air. “If you don’t tell me the truth, you’re going to force me to re-evaluate the terms of our deal.”
I gasped, pitching backward. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Just try me,Aileana,” he snarled, wielding my name like a sword. “We have a day before Daegal and Jo should be meeting us. That’s plenty of time for you to be honest with me. If you are capable of such a thing.”
“Or what?”
“I’m telling you, you do not want to push me right now.”
Gathering my strength, I pushed myself to my feet. I wobbled for a moment before grabbing onto a nearby tree. The bark was rough in my hands, a welcome distraction from the anger flooding through my body.
“Fine,” I hissed. “But I’m only going to tell you because I want to, not because you’re forcing me.”
He glared at me, narrowing his eyes. “Keep lying to yourself if it makes you feel better. Now, let’s go.”