“Thanks for um, my leg,” she mumbled self-consciously.
“No problem.” He grinned and his eyes studied her as if she was standing there naked.
She bit her lip, her cheeks growing red as she suffered the unwanted attention. She glanced at Nik, aware of his eyes on her and when she looked back, Swain had disappeared as if into thin air. She gasped and scanned the forest in case she'd mistaken in what direction he'd left, then looked back at Nik.
“He's a fast runner.”
She stared at him for a long moment then gazed down at the floor, raising her eyebrows and then lowering them. Things that were strange to her were normal here, and she had to get her head round that.
She walked ahead, avoiding his gaze and he followed a few paces behind. It didn't take him long to catch up.
They strolled in silence for about five minutes and Jaz could almost believe she was alone, until his deep voice broke that fantasy. “So you chose to stop the iron injections?”
Jaz peered at him from the corner of her eye and then nodded her head.
“I'm happy for you.”
She tried not to smirk at how lame he made that sound. When she didn't bother to make conversation he changed topic.
“Skye's been asking about you.”
Jaz sped up into a light jog and Nik followed by her right side; the mountainous oak and beech trees swept by.
“Good to know,” she grunted, her tone making it clear she felt the opposite.
“You had an argument?”
“You could say that.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” She exhaled, fixing her eyes on her path. She felt bad for being so abrupt with him. After a moment she said, “I got angry with her because she didn't stand up for me when Fraya got all psycho on me.”
She thought she saw a tiny smile brush across his lips.
“And?”
Jaz scowled. “And what? She stood back -I mean that figuratively and literally stepped away from me and left me to deal with Fraya. Afterwards, I yelled at her, asking her why she did it -friends don't do that -not like she's even my friend anyway- and then her explanation was, 'I was helping'.” She mimicked Skye in a high, dipsy voice, noticing Nik pressing his lips together to smother a smile. “I mean what the hell does that mean?!” She huffed and jogged a little faster.
Nik kept up the pace with ease. “She meant what she said.”
Jaz scoffed, shaking her head.
“In Pack etiquette, when someone challenges another they have to protect their honour. It has to be one on one -like a duel- and if you turn it down you're considered cowardly, and if you turn your back on them or walk away, it's a huge insult.” Nik gave her a knowing look as he said this.
Jaz's eyes brightened as she understood why Fraya had been so furious and why the on-lookers had gasped when she refused to fight and walked away. Also, now she understood why Skye, Alf, Kenna and Kelda held back. “She was protecting my honour...?” she realized in a quiet voice.
“You may not agree with it, and it must be very strange for you, but believe me when I say, she was sincere. She really thought she was doing the right thing. You have to remember she's lived here her whole life, and whenever she has left here, she's around those like her. She doesn't know anything else. You're from two different worlds.”
Jaz and Nik jogged in silence for the rest of the way. They reached the edge of the forest where it opened up onto the field marking the end of the track, and then doubled back.
“So I must have really pissed Fraya off then, huh?” Jaz remarked with a grin.
“About that: I came to tell you, she's been punished for her actions towards you.”
Jaz stopped and Nik skidded to a halt next to her. She raised her brows in surprise. “How exactly?” she asked, catching her breath.
“She's been ordered to be on full-time duty in the stables for one month.”
“So she's shovelling shit for a month?” Jaz smirked. She started jogging again at a slower pace, a grin spreading across her flushed face. “Bet she wasn't too pleased about that.”
Nik's lips squeezed together, the corners pulling upwards. As she watched him, she couldn't help liking the way he tried not to smile. It made him appear younger when he wasn't so serious, and she wondered what he looked like when he didn't hold back.
“You don't like to smile, do you?”
He stopped suddenly and she nearly skidded into a tree.
Shit, shit, you idiot. You just crossed a line. She kicked herself.
She turned and edged a step towards him, trying to get a look at his face as he gazed down at the ground. Her movement made him snap his head up and his dark eyes stared deep into hers. He looked astonished and in pain and then there was a flicker of amusement that happened so quickly she wasn't sure if she'd really seen it, and so she became very, very uneasy with not knowing what he was thinking.
“I-I'm sorry, I really don't know why I said that,” she stammered.