Deadly

Chapter 23

After spending an hour cooped up in my room, I went out to search for Dallas. I'd ditched him--twice, in one day. That might not have been such a big deal in the past, but at the moment we were on rocky ground. He still thought I was angry with him for not protecting Felicity. This morning he'd opened up to me. And I ditched him. Twice.

" Have you seen Dallas?" I asked a servant in passing.

" The horse stables, Princess." She said. Before I could question further, she hastily turned the corner.

I returned to my room for a cloak, then made a stop in the kitchen before I ventured outside. The sun was setting, pink and orange bathing the sky. As I neared the horse stables, I noticed a soft light coming from a lantern in the hayloft above. Careful noy to make any noise, I walked to the back of the stables, where the latter was. No sound came from above, I would have questioned if he was really up there, if not for the light of the lantern.

Preparing myself for the conversation we were about to have, I climbed the latter. The stacks of hay blocked my view at first, when I inched around them I saw Dallas. He was sitting on a bale of hay, a piece of parchment on his lap. Pencil in hand, he swept it across the parchment with a level of desperation I'd  never seen from him before.

I took a step closer to get a better look at him, the floor giving out a creak. The pencil in his hand stilled. He looked up, his face hidden by shadows. Holding my breath, I waited for his response. Would he be angry, sad, indifferent?

" What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice devoid of emotion. I wished I knew what he was feeling, wished he would give something away. But he didn't. He kept his face impassively blank, his voice level.

" I told you we would talk later." I said quietly, softly. I'd never felt like I was walking on eggshells around him until now.

" There's nothing to talk about." He said. He used the same tone as before, except there was a sharpness in it this time. It gave him away. He sighed, losing the mask. Eyes on the floor between us, he set his parchment and pencil on the bale of hay next to the one he sat on. " I don't know what to do Katherine. I tried."

" You never did anything wrong to begin with," I said climbing over the bales to sit across from him. " It's me that should have been seeking forgiveness."

He gave me an odd look. " How do you mean?"

Unable to look at him and admit my guilt at the same time, I cupped my hands together over my lap and stared down at them. He deserved the most heart felt apology known to man. He deserved an explanation that would clear his conscious of any and all guilt. But as I sat there staring at my hands, I couldn't find the words to tell him. What could I say that would be good enough?

" Katherine?"

" I never should have doubted you." I said. Tears broke loose from my eyes, racing down my face. " I'm sorry Dallas. I'm so sorry."

Something warm settled over my hands when the tears blurred my vision. I blinked them away, focusing my gaze on his hand. His fingers started gliding over mine, pulling my hands apart. Choking back a sob, I watched him intertwine his fingers with mine.

" So you forgive me?" He asked, his voice much deeper than before.

" There's nothing to forgive." I said.

" But that doesn't explain why you ran off this morning." He said. Swallowing back my cowardice, I lifted my head to look at him. " Was it too much?"

" You gave me a lot to think about." I said honestly. " I couldn't stand to be around you and not forgive you."

" Stubborn as ever," he said squeezing my hand. Laughing, I used my other hand to rub the tears from my eyes. He smiled softly at me, brushing away a stray drop on my left cheek. My face flamed red.