She crossed her hands over her chest and turned to the window, leaning on the back of the soft wall.
“You apparently don't understand what people are ready to do to save their loved ones,” she murmured.
He opened his eyes, looking at her perfunctorily. “No, I actually counted on it. If Ididn't know what people are capable of – I wouldn't come to you.”
“So that's what you are doing? Coming around in search of desperate souls?” Her blue-gray eyes flew back to him, flickering in the dark.
“Mind you that it'syouwho called yourself that.”
“It doesn't mean you can manipulate me into doing anything you want. We have a strict line,” she warned.
“As you say, Little Witch.” He threw his feet up on the opposite seat and closed his eyes again.
Violette rolled her eyes and converted her stare to the window with slowly changing landscapes. It was hard to enjoy the scenery in the night, the road was hardly lit up by the lanterns and most of what she saw in the window was wild fields and nature. She assumed the little shimmering clusters of light far away were little towns, however it was too late to believe someone wasn’t asleep yet.
The teeter of the carriage for a moment seemed so soothing and the darkness outside inducing serene dreams, that her eyelids unwillingly shut, succumbing to wafted fatigue.
The carriage staggered and hopped.Violette's eyes flew open as she felt the bounce and in the next second her forehead hit something solid. The leap repeated once again, caught on another stone. She raised her head, trying to cometo her senses as her eyes met a dark blue shirt and then Dante’s face. Her hands pressed into the seat as her brows jumped.
“You'd been worrying about my intentions but you're the one who is getting handsy now. Should I be worrying for myself?” he scoffed.
“You are the reason why women choose to read romances rather than speak with real men,” she grumbled and pulled back to her seat.
He arched one brow and then propped up his head with a hand.
“If I knew you were so boring I'd choose someone else for this deal.”
“I'm boring? Huh!” A sharp laugh slipped from her lips. “Sorry for not falling to your feet.”
“You almost did.” His mouth curved.
This earned him a vicious look. She shot her eyes to the window, closed with dark velvet curtains, not letting in a single ray of sunlight. Her fingers swayed the fabric to peek through and then swung them open. Dante recoiled, leaning back from the window, his gaze remaining strong.
A beautiful field of purple-blue clematis emerged in the window. The sky was overcast but the sunshine hadn't given up trying to break through the clouds and warm the ground, perhaps for the last time this year. A thin layer of frost covered the grass and naked trees, making the clematises the only bright sign of color around, something alive – a piece of spring amidst falling asleep surroundings.
Violette’s attentionshifted to Dante. “How much longer do we have to go?”
“I presume we'll reach the destination by the late night,” he said dryly.
She tilted her head and her eyes went back to the window. Sitting in the carriage for so many hours had already made her back ache with intense pain. The only place she had traveled to in a carriage for long was nearly her hometown when she was younger.
Before her mother left the world of the living, her family often spent weekends by the lake, in the Sorcery Gardens – a beautiful place with remains of ancient arches, alcoves and statues surrounded by flower alleys and thickets of ivy. A lot of families and couples visited it during summer and spring seasons just to take a rest from their daily routine and the bustling city. These little trips were her only time away from home and seeing such a beautiful place, she kept wondering what the rest of the world looked like. Maybe she didn't leave her city or the potion shop she worked in, but her mind traveled to a lot of different places.
Violette squirmed on her spot, trying to find a new comfortable pose. Her legs had been eager to jump out the carriage and take a little walk. Dante only took a sidelong glance at her.
“Maybe we could make a stop?” she finally burst into the air.
“No.” The flat answer left his mouth as he was looking out the window, afar, with hisfingers resting under his nose.
“Why? We've been driving for several hours already, my back is stiff, I want a little break.”
“I see you are not used to traveling in a carriage.” He finally turned his gaze to her, looking no less bored than she was.
“Are you not uncomfortable?” she questioned.
With these words he stretched and in a satisfied tone said, “No, I'm fine.”
“Well, I'm not,” Violette frowned.
