The Box

Chapter Eighteen

He's careful not to touch me any more than absolutely necessary as we leave the house. Still, I can feel him near me. The strange energy radiates off him as a constant beacon. I want to reach out and touch him, but I clasp my arms around my chest instead.

Each step I take is hesitant and wobbly, and I know I'm slowing him down. He must be ready to give up and leave me to fend for myself, but the feeling of him near me never shifts. He always stays just out of arm's reach, never any further or closer.

I try to speak a few times, but words won't form.

After several more minutes of complete silence, I can't take it anymore. Before I can stop myself, I say, "You can go if you want."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, but I feel him as though he's frozen in place. He wants to go. Of course he does. He's only been helping because he feels sorry for me and has been waiting for permission to be done with me.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No," I say too quickly.

I cringe at my eagerness. What's wrong with me? He's going to think I'm desperate for his attention. So, maybe I am a little, but he doesn't need to know as much.

His hand causes heat to rush to the part of my face he touches as he pushes some of my hair back behind my ear, allowing his fingers to rest on my neck for only a moment. It's all it takes for my breathing to become ragged.

Too soon he backs away and I have to once again fight the urge to reach out to him.

"I'm here to help," he says. "But only if you want me to."

Not quite able to trust my voice, I bite my bottom lip and nod.

He doesn't touch me again. Instead, he clears his throat and says, "Your sister is in the village now. We should probably catch up to her to keep her out of trouble."

"You mean she hasn't burned the entire place down yet?" I put my hand to my mouth in exaggerated surprise. "I'm shocked."

His laugh causes my heart to race as much as his touch had. I need to hear it again.

"What is she doing, other than scaring the locals?"

"She's talking to a couple of the merchants who have a few items set up outside."

"What kind of stuff?" I ask.

"The usual. Some fruit and vegetables, wool, meat, nothing too spectacular."

"So it's like an outdoor market? Gran used to take Cindy and me to one near her house." I remember picking our way through crowds of people with my hand in Gran's while Cindy raced off to look at each stall on her own. I never left Gran's side, though there had been a ton of stuff I wanted a better look at. "They'd have some nice jewelry and handmade stuff. Are there those kinds of objects here?"

"If you face this way..." He closes the gap between us and places his hands on my shoulders to guide me until I'm positioned slightly further to the left. "There's the blacksmith table. He mostly focuses on bigger pieces like tools for working the fields, but he has a few bracelets and maybe a couple of daggers."

"Can you show me?"

"Uh..."

I realize what I've said and cringe. "I don't mean actually show me, but can you take me over there so I can touch some stuff?"

"Wouldn't you rather touch the clothes? I bet they'd feel nicer. And Rose is working today, so you could meet her."

The mention of another female catches my attention. "Rose?"