Her Hidden Half (War Songs of the Courts #1)

Chapter Twenty-five

I lingered at the doorway of my room and stared at Alaisdair in consideration. 

I needed to lose him, preferably now. Don't get me wrong, he was a good guy, but he worked for The King and was far too attached to rules for comfort. I didn't want him to hear anything I had to ask Alec only to report it back to the higher ups, so to speak.

"Are you alright, My Lady?" Alaisdair asked when a few too many moments passed in silence.

"Huh, that's new. No one's ever accused me of being a lady before," I said lightly.

"I'm sorry, have I offended you?" He asked, his eyebrows bunched together in confusion.

"Only mildly," I joked.

He looked genuinely concerned so I sighed, quickly moving to ease his concern. "I'm kidding. You've been great, honestly. I was just wondering if you were up for a stroll. I haven't gotten out much and I thought I should stretch my legs a bit," I said as innocently as possible.

He looked relieved that I'd asked about getting out of the room I'd shut myself in. "Of course. Anywhere you go, I go."

Yeah, that was the problem, I thought, biting down on my tongue to prevent myself from saying it out loud.

We walked in silence as ideas of my escape raced through my mind, all too poor to even attempt. I cleared my throat and peeked at him. He caught it and raised a brow in question.

"So what do you usually do? You know, when you're not babysitting me," I asked before looking away to study our surroundings.

"I'm a knight. I am in service to the King. Whatever he commands of me, I do." He kept his eyes forward as he talked and I felt my stomach drop at his choice of words.

"Anything he asks?" I asked, the question flying out of my mouth before I could contain it.

"Anything," he affirmed, turning his head briefly to look at me as he said it.

I looked away, trying to keep my expression normal. "Have you met him?" I asked in a casual tone.

He paused, taking a breath. "Only a handful of times. It was a great honor," he said, his voice heavy respect for his king.

Well, shit.

The sound of footsteps interrupted our conversation, saving me from having to find an appropriate response that didn't sound completely unauthentic. Kieran came into view and I stuttered in my step, making me stumble slightly. Alaisdair's quick reflexes saved me from the embarrassment of taking a nosedive. He righted me and I involuntarily swallowed the gratitude that sat on my tongue when I realized Kieran was walking directly towards us.

"Shit," I said under my breath, wishing I could disappear.

Alaisdair heard me and looked back at Kieran with a dark expression. I'd never thought of Alaisdair as dangerous or threatening, but that changed quickly with the look he was wearing. Somehow, Kieran seemed completely miss this, or chose to ignore it, as he came to a stop in front of us. I straightened and clenched my jaw as I tried to hide the discomfort I now felt around him.

"Echo, can I speak with you?" He asked in a surprisingly collected voice.

I nodded reluctantly.

"Alone?" He added after a moment of silence, shooting the man next to me a quick look.

"No can do, amigo. Where I go, he goes," I said, smiling as I repeated Alaisdair's words, thankful for his presence for the first time since he was assigned to me.

A smile twitched at Alaisdairs lips when he recognized his words, but remained stone faced otherwise. Kieran glanced between us before nodding in acceptance with a pained look in his eyes.