The Act of Duplicity [General Kirigan]

twenty-nine

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    A soft blow of her breath was all it took to make a rogue strand of her red hair get out of her face. She couldn't fathom how messy it was considering she just rose from the bed but that was the least of her concerns now. Nataliya stifled a yawn with her hand and turned her head to the left, a small smile slowly spreading on her features. Her eyes watched the gentle rise and fall of Kirigan's bare chest as he still appeared to be in a deep sleep. Leaning back on her elbow she raised her hand to smooth his messy hair and slick it back. Her finger then trailed his face from the temples, down to his cheek and through the beard right across his jawline.

    Slowly studying his features calmed her down especially when he was wearing such a relaxed expression. There was no frown and no crease between his eyebrows to indicate worry. She couldn't tell what was to come in a couple of hours and how different he might seem but the little moment she was in was one of the many reasons why she continued to stay by his side. They were a pair that completed each other in more ways than just one and finally after months of spite and anger between them the realisation that they were better together than apart hit them like a ton of bricks. At least that's how Nataliya interpreted Kirigan's confession the night before.

    Daylight started seeping into the black tent which alarmed the Heartrender knowing she overstayed her welcome here. She moved away from Kirigan's sleeping form but that's when she noticed slow movements of his face. He's waking up, she realised so she focused on his breathing and calmed him back down, making him fall asleep again. She didn't want to endure another conversation, not when things had to be done that day. There will be plenty of time to talk once their plan succeeds. If their plan succeeds, Nataliya corrected.

    After scrambling of the bed and putting on the clothes she looked back at him one more time, trying to remember every detail of his body. Then she quietly slipped out of the back of the tent and trekked her way back to the den the Crows currently resided. It was still early in the morning and the military camp was just waking up so it was easy for her to slip by unnoticed by any of the First or Second Army.

    Her thoughts were so messy that her mind hadn't realised where she was going all the way to the point when someone loudly cleared their throat to wake her up from the trance. Nataliya looked up from watching her feet and widened her eyes when she came face to face with a brooding Kaz.

    ''Where have you been?'' he asked.

    Nataliya refrained from rolling her eyes. He sounded like an old overprotective dad rather than a criminal. If he would frown only a little more than he was at that moment she thought he could get just as many wrinkles as old people actually have.

    ''I told you, Tailor business isn't a piece of cake.'' Nataliya easily lied.

    But apparently not convincingly enough since Kaz raised an eyebrow being fairly unimpressed. ''I doubt it takes all night though.''