An Archer's Awakening: An epic mm fantasy romance adventure (Of Crowns & Quills Book 1) by Casey Morales

Author:Casey Morales [Morales, Casey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 3Aussies Press
Published: 2024-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-one

Declan

“Why does ale hate me?” I groaned, gripping the sides of my head as I rolled off my pillow. Cadets stirred around me, some already dressed and ready to tackle their day’s challenges, while others, like me, groused about the sun’s obnoxious early rising.

“Good morning,” a familiar voice said with entirely too much enthusiasm.

I squinted up to find Ayden, fully dressed in his cadet leathers, gloves strapped beneath the epaulet on his shoulder, and a wide grin plastered across his annoying morning-person face. Even through crusty, sleep-filled eyes, Ayden looked like a town square’s statue with his infuriatingly sharp jaw and brilliant eyes, and the way his tunic struggled to contain his chest and showed off his slim waist. Even the deep greens and browns of his uniform offset the fiery curls that fell across them.

No one should look like that so . . . naturally.

In that moment, I wanted to stare at him and never move.

“I hate you,” I mumbled, then covered my head with my pillow.

He chuckled. “Oh, no you don’t. You hate yourself for drinking too much with Shira.”

“How do you know—”

“Declan, really? You drink with her at least three times each week. You are too conscientious to drink to excess with your First Years, and you dislike most of your classmates. If you’re grumbling like this in the morning, it means you were out with Shira.”

“Not true,” I said, tossing the pillow aside and leaning forward.

“Arsehole,” one of the other cadets in a nearby cot called out.

“We hate the fluffy-headed fucker, too,” another cried.

“My hair isn’t fluffy. It’s full!” I immediately regretted engaging with the enemy, as my fingers rose and vanished beneath an ocean of unruly curls standing at attention in all directions.

A chorus of half-hearted laughter and teasing jeers drifted through the now bustling hall. Flimsy straw mats lay empty atop rows of racks lining the walls of the long hall as cadets rose to dress and make ready for the day. For some reason, I’d become the center of attention without even raising my head.

I wanted to crawl back under my green-and-brown patchwork covers and hide.

“Nice chest.” Ayden grinned as his eyes roamed my now exposed upper body.

Suddenly even more self-conscious, I yanked the sheet to my neck. I’d lived communally with dozens of men for nearly two years, and somehow this one man made a single comment about my nipples and I blushed all the way to my toes.

Damn you, Ayden Byrne.

“Okay, Prudence. I will let you dress in peace. The Lieutenant is already waiting outside to ferry us to the crossing. I would hurry, if I were you.” Ayden turned and took a step, then glanced back. “I am thankfully not you, because you reek of ale.”

With another smirk, he strode out of the barracks, leaving me clutching my sheet and nursing throbbing temples.

Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the barracks, shielding my eyes from the obnoxiously bright sun, who seemed determined to make me wither beneath her intense gaze.

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