A beat passed, then two, before he nodded tersely and held out the flask. “You drive a hard bargain, Sunshine, but I accept.”
The water was refreshing as it dripped down my throat. Once I had drunk my fill, I handed it back to Xander. Our fingers brushed and for a moment, a shock rushed through my arm. I yanked back my hand, rubbing my fingers over the spot where we’d touched.
“Thank you,” I said.
He nodded, leaning back and seeming at ease in the rocky cavern. “So, Sunshine. You’re an elf.”
“Is that your question?” I crossed my arms. “If so, I will be forced to question the fortitude of your education.”
Shaking his head, Xander chuckled. “My education was perfectly adequate, thank you very much. Not that you asked, but I happened to have spent a fair amount of time in university before I stumbled across you in the forest.”
I raised a brow. Something about that answer niggled at me. Universities… there weren’t many in Ithenmyr that I knew of.
Of course, they only accepted males. Why would females need higher education?
“Aileana,” Xander said. “I asked you a question.”
“Sorry,” I replied automatically. “My mind drifted. What did you ask?”
He tilted his head as he said, “My question is this: have you reached Maturity yet?”
I wrung my hands together as I debated how to answer.
Every elf Matured at a different time, although most did so around their twenty-fifth year. Prior to Maturing, elves were just as susceptible to things like illness and injury as humans, but once they Matured, they would live for centuries or even millennia, until they Faded.
Eventually, I decided on the truth. After all, I couldn’t see the harm in it. Xander already knew I was an elf. I shook my head. “No, I’ve yet to Mature. I saw my twenty-third autumn this year.”
He kept my gaze, nodding slowly. “Interesting.”
“How about you?” I asked, straightening my shift as I shuffled on my feet. “How old are you?”
“Old enough,” he said, his voice gruff.
I narrowed my eyes. “Old enough?” I mimicked his response. “That’s your answer? Old enough?”
“Yes,” he said gruffly. “I said I’d respond, not that I would give you a specific numerical value.”
I huffed. “Ugh. You are incredibly frustrating.”
He shrugged. “Even so. Next question. Why are you running from your fiancé?”
“That’s… That’s…” My mouth opened and closed as I stood there in front of him. For the first time since I stepped out of my dress, I felt… exposed. My lungs tightened as I fought to breathe. My heart raced in my chest as a roaring filled my ears. I pressed my nails into my palms as I forced myself to remember that it was over.
I was out. I had saved myself. And I could do it again if I needed to.
I was strong.
“Aileana?” Xander asked. “Why are you running?”
A thousand different answers flitted through my mind.
I didn’t ask to be married. My fiancé is a psychopath. I don’t like him. His father is a murderer. No one asked me. I want to be more than a breeder. I want someone to love me. He’s the king’s favorite, and I’m the king’s pet. I hate him more than I hate you. He haunts my nightmares. Life with him would be worse than death.
I didn’t say any of that.
Instead, I lowered myself to the ground, finally taking a seat in front of the small fire. I extended my hands, allowing the warmth of the flames to seep into my skin. Staring into the yellow and orange flames, I breathed in deeply.
A minute passed, then two, in silence. Eventually, I raised my gaze and met Xander’s.