Captive of Wolves (Bound to the Fae #1) - Eva Chase Page 0,59
And make sure the coast is clear before you head back upstairs.”
“Thank you. But—were you going to use the room?”
So worried about imposing when we’re the ones who’ve essentially imprisoned her in the keep. I offer her a reassuring smile. “Not at all. I was going to work out my urge to punch Kellan’s face in a way that won’t get me in trouble with Sylas. I’ve got a… what would you call it? A small gym down here.”
Talia brightens much more than I’d have expected at that information. The eagerness in her expression takes her from pretty to stunning so abruptly my breath catches. I glance away for a second to make sure I don’t come across as leering.
“For exercising?” she says. “Can I—can I see it?”
I grin back at her. “Sure. Allow me to give you the tour.”
She follows me down the hall in the opposite direction from the sauna. I watch her steps from the corner of my eye, but not just to appreciate her slender form. She’s definitely favoring her once-broken foot more than she normally is.
My fingers curl into fists. Maybe I won’t plant one of those in Kellan’s face, but Sylas can’t complain about me informing him that the asshole must have been harassing Talia again.
Sylas asked me to keep the gym locked because there’s equipment in here he wouldn’t want Talia getting her hands on unsupervised—we use the space for combat training as well as pure exercise—but I can’t see how she’ll get into any trouble with the swords and daggers while I’m here. They’re all shut away in the cupboard at the far end of the room anyway.
As we walk in, the lantern orbs in the corners of the ceiling light up with their orange glow. Talia blinks at them, still awed by the magic that’s so ordinary to me. How ridiculous is it that she’s spent so much of her life in our realm yet gotten to experience so little of what it can offer?
I want to see how her eyes would widen and her lips part in amazement if I took her out to the lunar tree grove to watch the flowers bloom and sing by moonlight. Or to the Shimmering Falls, where the water glitters like crystal and tastes sweet as fresh honey. I want to pull metals from the earth and show her how I can talk them into forming a blade or a bracelet.
But it isn’t safe to let her leave the keep—for her or for us. And maybe that longing is beneath me. Whitt would scoff at me for being so keen to please anyone, especially a human girl.
I beckon for Talia to follow me all the way into the room. A thick layer of moss covers most of the floor, providing a firm enough surface for aerobic exercise and sparring with enough cushioning that no one’s likely to break any bones if they take a hard fall. I like the rich loamy scent it adds to the air and the feel of it under my feet, dense but springy.
A leather punching bag dangles in one corner, the material mottled with thinning patches. That piece of equipment gets a lot of use. On the opposite wall, branches form bars at varying heights. Next to them rests a stack of metal weights. It’s probably a good thing the weapons cabinet is closed, come to think of it, because I’m not sure Talia would have quite as enthusiastic a reaction to the space if she caught a glimpse of all those killing blades and the target dummy that’s definitely seen better days.
She walks up to the wall with the bars and grasps one that’s well above her head. I’m about to warn her not to strain herself when she hefts herself up, curling her back and legs so she can rest her feet on the bar’s underside. Wiry muscles I hadn’t realized were quite that strong stand out in her slim arms. She tips her head back to smile at me upside down, her hair streaming like a pink flame, and then flips back around, careful in her landing.
“Good to know I haven’t lost the basics from lack of practice,” she says. My surprise must show on my face, because a blush colors her cheeks. “When Aerik had me—I didn’t want to let myself get too weak. I’d exercise as well as I could using the bars on the ceiling of the cage. I don’t know how useful