Beautiful awoke with a start—the sun already halfway up the sky. She’d slept like a baby. Then the panic hit. What would Seeker think? She rushed to brush her hair. Splashed water on her face. The common room was empty. Heart racing, she bolted for the pasture. There he was—talking to Kind, like nothing was wrong.
She could see the unguarded affection in Kind’s eyes. If Kind liked him, he couldn’t be half-bad. Right?
Kind teased her about being late. Fair enough—she was terrible at judging time. But this time, it really wasn’t her fault.
“You can’t keep me up all night like that anymore,” she whispered to Seeker. Her cheeks warmed. She really hoped Kind hadn’t heard—she didn’t want him getting the wrong idea. She leaned closer, lowering her voice even more. “You have my days, that should be enough for you.” But not enough for me. She wisely kept that one to herself.
Had Kind just invited them to celebrate the Prince’s Birth? She turned to him, brows lifted in a silent question.
“You and Seeker are always welcome in my tent,” he said. “Both of you.” He looked at her like he knew.
When she turned, Gracious was laughing at something Seeker had said. Companion had definitely been a bad influence on him!
