Free Whisper by Harper Alexander

that, she turned on a heel and stalked away, unwanted.
    Jay was giving me a look.
    “What? You do ,” I pointed out. Never mind that I'd been in his tent when he'd been in mine.
    Shaking his head, he dropped his napkin into his bowl and stood, and went after what I could scarcely believe seemed to be the very girl I had just cleanly gotten rid of.
    He didn't know what was good for him.
    I warmed myself by the fire awhile longer before giving in to what I knew was good for me, heading to Jay's tent for some sleep. I would have to see about some blankets when I had the presence of mind one of these days, but until then Jay wouldn't mind sharing one more night, and in the rare event that Cambrie convinced him she was lonely enough to need overnight company, he couldn't bring her back here.
    I was just about to drift off when I heard her giggle – what could only be her giggle – and I rummaged my way out of the blankets to peer out of the tent. Jay had walked her back to her tent, a good twelve shelters down the curve, and she was saying goodnight to her escort, obviously charmed. Or trying to charm him. Most likely both. I watched as he lifted a hand good-bye and strolled back along the curve, headed for our painted corner of the world. Our small, walled world.
    “How did your date go?” I asked as he sauntered by.
    As usual, he cast me a glance and walked on by. Rolling my eyes, I untangled myself from the blankets and rose to follow, pushing my way into the barren tent behind him.
    “She's pathetic, you know that, right?” I asked him.
    This time, his eyes met mine and stayed there. “She's a refugee, Alannis.”
    Alannis . Not the endeared nickname he had for me. I had gone too far. Was getting on his nerves. No endearment for me, after my antics. For some reason, that stung me in the face a little. I was just watching out for your back, I wanted to defend myself, but was that really what I had been doing? I swallowed instead, unprepared for his reprimand. For the seriousness of it. I couldn't simply allow myself to be reprimanded, though, and so I ended up pushing harder, saying,
    “Of course she's a refugee. Did you see her nails? She couldn't swat a fly without the risk of breaking them. There's no career of fight there.” She's a victim.
    Having said his piece, Jay lay down on his back, knees propped up, and crossed his arms over his chest. All he needed was the hat over his face. Stupid cowboy.
    I stared at him a moment as he settled into ignoring me, and then, resisting the grumble that bubbled on my lips, went and curled up next to him, not one to be dismissed so easily. Then, stubborn me, I slept with him on that cold, hard ground, like so many times before when we had traveled together over the unforgiving Shardscape, back when it had juust been him and me.
    *
    Over the days that followed, I acquired some admirers of my own. They lined up outside the round pens, all the young military men, catching on to the gifted young female in their midst. I wondered how many of them had chased Cambrie around, the only eligible female within reach up until my arrival – although I didn't know that I would ever call myself 'eligible', not with my love affair with dirt and exclusive interest in horses and my hair always falling in limp locks in my face. In any case, they took an interest in me, and I was hard pressed to ignore their throng on the sidelines. So I catered to them a little bit instead; it never hurt to flaunt the reasons these people had invested in me.
    Jay, for one, did not seem impressed. Every time I stole a glance in his direction, he was cleanly ignoring me and the show I was putting on, but I told myself he was just keeping busy like a good labor boy. It wasn't like it was anything he hadn't seen before. Besides, it wasn't for him. It was orchestrated as a source for self-gratification as I made ready to inform the Lieutenant that I couldn't do what she had hired me to do. If I was going to make