moonshadows

“Taretha! There you are.”

He strides up to where I have been inspecting an apple tree in the long-neglected Queen’s Garden, which is more of a large walled courtyard. Looks like he’s stopped wearing the gray and sky-blue that looked so bad on him and has gone with charcoal and Stormwind blue. I hit him with a moderately displeased look, but it glances off of him.

“Listen, a representative from Silvermoon has arrived to discuss the possibility of an ambassador now that you’re here to keep me in check, and I want you to be there when I meet with him.”

“Not like that,” I say coldly, eyeing the wild mass of hair that has only been vaguely restrained.

He blinks in confusion. “What…?”

“Your hair is a disaster. Turn around.”

Like an obedient child, my lord husband turns around. The blue-and-silver leather strap he has tied roughly around his hair is easy enough to untie, but taming that auburn thatch of his…I wish I had a comb or brush, but my fingers will have to do. His hair is as soft as I’d wondered if it would be. Varian is quiet while I finger-comb his hair into some semblance of order and tie it back properly.

“Turn around and let me look at you.”

There is the barest hint of amusement in the corners of his mouth, and veiled hope in his eyes. I ignore them both. He looks more presentable with his hair better confined, but part of me liked it wild and most of me liked being able to touch it. I give him a brief nod.

“Good enough. Let’s go.”

He offers me his arm, but I sweep past him with a look of disdain. Unperturbed, he follows and hovers at my elbow while I lock the door to what is now my garden.

“You have very gentle fingers,” he says quietly while I attend to the door.

“Years of practice. Blackmoore forbade me from binding my hair in any way, so I got very good at combing it without a comb.” I keep my voice crisp, trying to ward off his kindness.

“You did a very thorough job.”

I got caught up in satisfying an urge I’d been living with almost daily, but he doesn’t need to know that. “Your hair sticks up all over. I only tried to convince it all to lie flat.”

“Is it so hard to admit that there’s something about me you don’t loathe?”

The look I direct at him is pure venom, killing his quiet humor. He sighs.

“At least I know you won’t go easy on me.”