Adie stormed into their tiny room at the inn. It was basically just a square room big enough for a bed they were taking turns sleeping in, a small three drawer dresser, and an even smaller bathroom that housed an old whiskey barrel to bathe and a hole in the ground for…attending to ones needs.

Gray stumbled in after her and closed the door, sliding the bolt at the top in place to keep prying eyes out. He turned around and leaned against the door, the back of his head hitting the wood.

“I didn’t think about that.”

“You don’t think about anything,” she snipped.

Adie was unfastening buckle after buckle to remove her harness that held her firesteel daggers. She began making her way to that hovel of a bathroom to pump cold water into the barrel so she could cool off.

She was seething. She could barely see in front of her with the red creeping into her vision. Gray was no longer in her good graces and she was going to make him aware of it.

Lifting the curved handle to allow the water to flow, she glanced back to see Gray cross the room and put his hands on the top of the doorframe. Either he was to damn tall or the ceilings in this shithole were to low.

To low considering she was the same height as he.

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal to you. You’re already quick on your feet, I just made you go faster.”

Adie stopped pumping the water and fully turned around to face him. Widening her stance, she crossed her arms and glared directly into his stupidly perfect face.

“It has nothing to do with you using your marionette magic on me. It has everything to do with the fact that you didn’t even ask!” She was yelling at him and she didn’t care if the tenants below heard her.

Gray’s eyes widened and he dropped his hands from the frame and shoved them into his pockets. He opened and closed his mouth like he was going to say something.

Adie was tired of holding this facade in place. She was tired of pretending to be strong. Relaxing her stance, she slid to the floor with her back against the makeshift tub.

“You’re supposed to be training me. Training me to get stronger with my illusions and with my fighting. I can’t improve if you give me a power up.”

She was so tired, but she knew she couldn’t give up. Pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees, tears began pooling in her eyes. She put her forehead on her knees and let the droplets fall into her lap. She felt Gray sit down next to her, shoulder to shoulder.

“I am sorry, Adie,” he started. “I honestly hadn’t thought of a power up being a hindrance. Usually people that I work with beg me to use it on them for that exact power up.”

All of a sudden, Adie felt the urge to tell Gray everything. Everything from her past. All of her buried secrets. Instead she settled with, “I have to keep going, Gray. I have things I have to finish, but I cannot keep going with people I can’t trust.”

She felt him shift and then a heavy arm was draped across her shoulder blades and a hand was on her head. “I know there are things you haven’t told me and I am not asking you too. I will never ask you to tell me what you don’t want to.” His hand started twirling her dirty brown locks around his fingers and he added, “But, you can always tell me anything if you ever give me the privelage to listen. You can trust me.”

Adie lifted her head up and was shocked to see Gray with a faint smile on his face. His dimple still hiding, but complete trust and vulnerability shown in his eyes.

“I promise to never use my magic on you again,” he vowed as he brought his other hand up to cup her face and wipe away a tear that had escaped.

“Unless I say so,” Adie said, lowering her gaze to the floor and gave him a sheepish smile.

Gray pulled the hand on her face away and let out a laugh that had Adie snapping her attention back up as she felt something in her chest flutter and swell. She stared at his free and open smile, drinking in his sounds of laughter.

He composed himself and said “Alright, only when you say so.” Gray’s hand was still toiling around in her hair. It was extremely distracting and Adie could feel her entire body temperature rising with the idle movements.

Gray leaned forward slightly, ice blue eyes meeting hers as he said in a low voice, “But I am curious about what positions we will be in when you ask me.”

Adie’s eyes went wide and it was the emphasis on the word positions that had her feeling hotter than she already was with his damn hand in her hair. She had to be emanating heat. Gray had to feel it coming off of her in waves. She knew she needed to end this little dance or she would burn.

But two can play this game, she thought.

Adie shifted onto her hip and leaned in closer, their faces only inches apart now. She felt more than saw Gray stiffen and his eyes go wide as she put her hand in the collar of his shirt and trailed her finger slowly down the fabric.

He was all talk and she knew it. He knew it too but would never admit it.

“Oh sweetie,” she said in a saccharine voice. “You should know by now that I won’t ever be putting myself in a position where that would be an option.”

She tapped his nose and left.