can wash your garments for you,” he offered simply, as if it were a normal thing to say. “All of them.”
Lilac stopped in her tracks. The unexpected kindness of his first sentence made the second feel particularly violating.
Upon realizing the implications of his words, Garin froze. “Well your clothes are botched, and I thought I could—I mean—” he cleared his throat. “If you would like, I’ll help you,” he muttered.
As his voice trailed off, Lilac’s frown also turned into a reluctant half-grin that she couldn’t help. He didn’t slip up often, and seeing the vampire flustered made her feel that much better.
“Look, hear me out,” Garin said, running his fingers through his hair as if he’d managed a smoother recovery. “Your ceremony is to be held the day after tomorrow, right?” Taking her stubborn silence as a yes, he continued. “The town isn’t far from here at all. About halfway between the Lake of Mirrors,” he jutted a thumb at the serene water next to them, “and Paimpont is a small patch of farmland. I propose we stay there for the remainder of the night into morning, and—”
Lilac shook her head and started walking again, reminded of the urgency at hand. “No. I need to get back in time. You realize that’ll be wasting an entire day?”
“And you do realize what I am?” He scowled and jabbed a pale finger at his chest.
She couldn’t help but follow its direction and examine him. His skin looked ghostly now, almost ethereal in the silver light.
“I can’t travel by day,” he reminded her softly.
Lilac suddenly couldn’t seem to get enough air into her lungs. While focusing on his dietary needs, she’d forgotten all about his aversion to sunlight. She’d never make it back in time if he came with her. Maybe, deep down and despite her frustrations, she had been counting on him to come with her—to guard her from the worst of the forest, certainly.
But, despite Cinderfell, and despite his promise to Kestrel… also, just to be with her.
She closed her eyes, trying to breathe deeply through the sudden panic at the thought of traveling through the forest alone. The kingdom would be in the best hands under her rule, but fate was surely intent on convincing her otherwise. She began to cry, and she clenched her eyes tighter. Perhaps she was never meant for the crown, after all. Never meant for the great things shed dreamt of. The Le Tallecs would be the perfect family to run a kingdom stuck in such tradition and unfaltering prejudice.
She wasn’t meant to be feral, untamable light. She was but a dull, timorous flame—a flint whose spark was fierce, but might never ignite. She let out a sob of frustration.
She barely heard Garin approaching before he folded his arms around her shoulders. Her sobs turned to a hiccupping laugh as he gingerly pressed her against his chest. He’d had no idea why she was crying; she probably seemed insane to him. Still, she placed a hand gently on his chest as it rose and fell in slow, shallow breaths. “I’ve realized that we won’t get there in time if you come along.” She sucked in a deep breath. “You have to let me go, Garin. I’d use the entire day tomorrow to travel, hopefully getting there by dawn.”
Pity washed over his face, softening the vampire’s striking features. He grasped her cheeks between both palms, and Lilac’s heart thudded at the thought of him kissing her again. Instead, he shook his head condescendingly.
“I don’t remember being this dramatic when I was human,” he whispered tenderly. “As I was saying, we take shelter near the farmland and get going by tomorrow evening. We’re almost to the town. I say we take care of your business at the witch’s, then head out to the castle immediately after that. You’ll be there before dawn.”
His insistence at the impossible wiped the warmth she felt toward him. She swatted his stone-cold hands off her, unable to grasp what he wasn’t comprehending. “Do you struggle with a warped sense of time? We’re not going to make it back if we wait till tomorrow night to get moving. We won’t.
“Have you forgotten what I am? Garin turned so that his back faced her and squatted, reaching back to pat his shoulder.
“Get on.”
“You’re stupid if you think I will.”
He straightened, throwing her a patronizing grin. “And you’re in denial if you think I won’t pick you up again. Now, please.”
Fighting the urges to punch