Silver Flame (Vampire Girl #3)(54)

Madrid places a hand on her companion. "Now Durk, be calm. Remember, we welcome all in this village. As long as they swear to bring no harm."

Tavian side eyes me, and I nod. "I swear."

"So do I," he says.

"Wonderful," says Madrid, smiling. "Now, follow me. The two of you look like you haven’t bathed in weeks."

She’s not quite wrong. I reek.

Durk mumbles and curses under his breath, but lets us pass as we travel through the village. Children play in the snow, building figures from sticks and singing songs about the Primal One. Women wash clothing in barrels of water. Men patch together a broken rooftop.

A horse neighs. In the center of the town. Something is wrong.

A woman yells as a giant black mare almost crushes her with its hooves. "What’s gotten into you, Mally?"

Mally, the mare, neighs again, still restless and wild.

I rush forward, then slow down, my hand forward. "Easy girl. Easy." I’ve done this before, when one of the horses pulling my cart got spooked, and it works now. Mally relaxes, letting me pet her head. "Good girl," I say. "What’s wrong, huh?"

"And who would you be?" asks the woman who seems to own Mally.

I ignore her and examine the horse. "Her shoe is shot. Where’s the blacksmith?"

"There is none," says Durk, catching up. "Died a few weeks past.

"Then where’s the forge?"

"Why, you have some skill?"

"Maybe."

Tavian laughs. "So you know of Kayla Windhelm, but not her skill at the forge?"

Durk grunts, and says nothing.

"Here," I say, passing the reigns to Tavian. "Watch her while I make a new shoe." He nods, and I find the forge. A shadow of what I had in Stonehill, but good enough. It takes me a while to make the horseshoe and a while to shoe the horse. Once I’m done, Mally is returned to the stable, and Madrid thanks me.

"No need," I say. "Something needed mending, and I mended it. That’s what I do."

"You have a kind heart," she says leading me into a wooden hut. There, in the center of a room, is a wooden bath. "I already heated the water. Take your time. And after, feel free to cool off in the lake outside."

I thank her and, after she leaves, I slip off my clothes and sink into the bath. By the Spirits, it feels good. I let the water relax and soothe my muscles, as I lean back my head and think of nothing but happiness. When the water begins to turn cold, I reluctantly leave the bath, then wrap myself in a white towel hanging on the well. I step outside the house, onto a porch overlooking the lake. I see Tavian there. And he’s…

Well…

He’s naked.

Standing on the opposite side of the water, his muscles rippling in the sun. He notices me looking and winks, then dives in the cold water. "Woo!" he yells, breaking the surface and flicking back his thick hair. "What’s wrong, Princess? Water too cold?"

I roll my eyes. Then jump in after him, letting my towel fall off. The water is freezing, and sends a shock through my entire body. It fills me with a rush, and when I break the surface, I realize I am right in front of Tavian. Our bodies almost touching.

"The Princess is braver than I thought," he teases.

I smirk. "Oh, you don’t scare me."

"I should, Princess. I should." He wraps an arm around me. Pulls me closer.

I lean forward, drawing my lips to his. And—

"Time for the feast!" someone yells. Durk. He stands on shore, holding up my towel. "Unless you’re too good to eat with us, Princess?"

"I am not a princess!" I say, my eye almost popping out of their sockets from exasperation at having to remind everyone of this.

Durk shrugs and walks away.

Tavian sighs. "We should go. It would be disrespectful to be late."

I nod, the moment between us ending too soon.

Once I’m dressed, Tavian leads me to the giant bonfire in the center of the village. Dozens of Fae sit around the flames, while others play drums and a few dance to the music. We join Madrid and watch as she passes sweets out to the children. Once she has no more to give, she wanders off, away from the fire.

"Something wrong?" I ask Tavian.

He shrugs, his gaze fixed on the dancers, who twirl blue and green ribbons through the air, their bodies in sync with the tribal beat.

I touch Tavian on the shoulder. "I’ll be back in a moment." Then I stand and look for Madrid, finding her near a gravestone.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She nods, rubbing at her eyes. "Yes. I’m fine. Just honoring the dead in my own way."

I notice the tears in her eyes. "This person. They were important to you."

"Yes. Yes, he was. We grew apart at the end, but I still loved him."

"What happened?" I ask, hoping I’m not pressing too far, but also knowing that discussing loss can help with grief.

She sighs, leaning more on her cane than before. "He died. In the battle at Stonehill. I found his body there, on the battlefield, and I would not leave it behind to rot with the rest. So I carried him here. Paid for it too. A vampire tried to rob me, but I got him before he got me. Though, he did wound my leg." She taps her walking stick on the snow.