I did not slow as his footsteps thundered behind me. The hallways of the castle stretched endlessly, pale stone glowing under the torchlight, but my pace remained steady.
Skirts swished around my ankles as I moved, careful to maintain composure despite the heat rising in my chest.
"Seraphina," I heard him call, breathless but amused. "Seraphina, wait!"
I did not turn. My heels clicked against the stone.
He caught up to me in a few long strides and finally stopped just short of touching my arm. His chest rose and fell with exertion, his dark eyes glittering in the torchlight. "Where are you running off to?" he asked, voice teasing but not entirely free of concern.
I straightened, brushing imaginary dust from my skirts. "If you must know," I said, "I am going to prepare a proper room for your 'saviour' to stay. One fit for someone who prevented a massacre."
He laughed then, that low, amused sound that always felt like it could shatter my patience and melt it at the same time.
