“True.” From the stack next to the fire, she picks up a small stick and twirls it between her fingers. “But none as dramatic as yours.”
I lift the jar to my lips, taking a long drink before replying. “If you’re here to provoke me, you’re wasting your time.”
“Who’s provoking?” she asks as she digs the stick into the ground. “Perhaps I prefer company that’s less dull.”
“Why aren’t you with your friends?”
She snorts. “Friends….”
“Don’t tell me the fierce Kythara doesn’t have any companions to share the night with.”
“Companions come and go.” She leans forward. “So, why are you brooding by yourself?”
The anger returns, coiling tight in my chest as I stiffen. “That’s none of your concern.”
“Maybe not.” Sparks shoot into the air as she tosses the stick into the fire. “But sometimes it helps to talk.”
“Since when do you care?”
The lines near her mouth soften a fraction. “I don’t. But like I said, the night’s young, and you’re moderately interesting.”
She reaches out, and I hand her the jar without protest. Her fingers brush mine—calloused, steady.
“Are you stalking me?” I ask as she takes a long drink, then lowers the wine to her thigh.
A ghost of a smile crosses her lips. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
I extend my hand for the jar, and she passes it back.
Silence settles between us, broken only by the whisper of the wind and the distant murmur of the night watch.
“You’re surprisingly quiet tonight,” she says, breaking the silence first.
“Disappointed?”
She tilts her head, as if she’s trying to figure me out. “I thought you’d be spouting grand plans or brooding about your latest conquest.”
“Is that what you think of me?”
She arches an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”
“Not entirely.”
She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “So, which is it tonight? Grand plans or brooding?”
I glance away. “Neither.”
“Ah. Something new, then.”
“You’re awfully curious.”
“Consider it a passing interest.”
I take another drink before offering the jar back to her. “To passing interests, then.”
She accepts the jar and takes a long drink. As she lowers it, she pins me with those dark eyes. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I feign ignorance. “Which one was that?”
