Free (Skeleton Key) Princess of the Damned by Wendy Knight Page B

hasn't." She had slept, but he had stayed awake to watch her sleep, count her breaths, and watch the cave entrance for nightmares. So he knew very well that the moon hadn't risen yet. Although it was difficult to tell in the Isle. The sun gave off barely more light than the moon did, and the whole place seemed to be swathed in darkness all the time.
    "So… what's with the cats? I've seen demons, which I get. Ghosts, spiders, sharks. But kittens?" Again attempting to distract her.
    It worked. Her face lost the pensive determination and she grinned. "This place is full of the damned's greatest fears. In a normal afterlife, I suspect it would be full of lost loved ones and watching others suffer, but not here. Here, it's heights, snakes, monsters, and kittens. Apparently fear of cats is a real thing."
    Landon laughed. "You learn something new every day."
    "Yes. You do. Now stop trying to delay the inevitable. We have to go back to the castle."
    "Not yet. Talk to me, Eiress." In case they didn't make it back to the castle. He had to use these moments wisely. He pulled her back to him and she fitted herself against his shoulder. At her touch, his heart took off on a sprint, and again, he was amazed at her effect on him.
    "Okay. What's your favorite color?"
    "What?" Landon laughed. "That's…slightly random."
    "I know your soul. But I know nothing about you." She twisted her head so she could peer up at him with huge brown eyes.
    And who was he to refuse her? "My favorite color is blue. Dark blue, though. Not the girly powder blue they wrap babies in. What's yours?"
    She blinked the huge brown eyes. "I…don't know. I haven't seen many colors for so long. But I think…" she drummed her fingers on his arm, pretending to ponder, but the mischievous smile gave her away. "I think my favorite color is also blue. But the blue of your eyes. Not that girly powder blue they wrap babies in. By the way, don't they wrap boy babies in powder blue?" She grinned like she'd won an entire debate.
    "Touché. Your favorite food is corn, I think."
    She lit up. "You remembered!"
    "Always." He met her gaze and was lost in it. He never wanted to look away.
    "What's yours?" Her voice was just a little breathless.
    "My what?" For the life of him, he couldn't remember what they'd been talking about.
    The grin split her face again. "Your favorite food."
    "Oh." He chuckled, running his good hand through his tangled hair. "My mom's spaghetti. No one makes it like she does. Not too chunky, not too tasteless. It's the only thing she can make without burning the kitchen to the ground." The image of his mom battling fires with her handy old fire extinguisher flashed through his mind and he was suddenly hit by a wave of homesickness that nearly knocked the wind out of him.
    "Tell me about her?" Eiress asked softly, her voice barely reaching him over the snapping and popping of the fire.
    "My mom?"
    Eiress nodded.
    "She's amazing. She did her best to raise me well. I remember when I was little, and she'd pick me up each time I fell, every time I got knocked down. She'd chase down my bullies." At Eiress's raised eyebrow, he added, "I wasn't always the strapping knight in shining armor I am now."
    She giggled.
    "Every day when she'd drop me off at school, she'd yell, 'Be kind!' and everyone could hear her. But I didn't care. She'd sing me to sleep every night and burn my breakfast every morning. She believes in chasing dreams, risking everything, following your heart. She says these corny things like look for the helpers and be the good and don't give up and no matter how many times someone says you can't, they're wrong. She's the reason I had the courage to come here." He traced a path across her fingers, memorizing the scars. "Do you remember anything about your mother?"
    Eiress tipped her head, watching his hand. "I remember a lot. The memories of my mother are what kept me from giving up so many times." She laughed softly. "Mothers, huh? I remember a song about