She really hadn't thought that Kabe would hurt the poor boy, but even still she sighed in relief as her guard was allowed up. It only took the blink of an eye, it seemed, before the young man had put himself between her and Kabe. His devotion was to be admired, but it really wasn't necessary. Did he really think she didn't know when she was or wasn't in danger?
Okay, maybe at first she had been uncertain of how dangerous Kabe was, but now she was pretty sure that he wouldn't actually hurt her. Steal from her, given the chance, certainly, but not hurt her.
Although she blushed slightly as he repeated her words. She had called him a ball of fluff, hadn't she? Oh well, at the time he seemed like a fuzzy puppy, so it had been appropriate as far as she was concerned. Hopefully he hadn't been insulted, though. Not that she should be concerned with what he thought.
Nadya's big, violet eyes gazed up at Kabe as he gently moved her guard aside. His words were tempting, so very tempting. How many times had she dreamed of just getting away, as far away as she could, even if only for a little while? She wasn't supposed to leave the manor or the gardens without permission or an escort. She wasn't supposed to be this far away from the manor at all
Then again, despite her timid and meek countenance, she seemed to have a habit of doing things she wasn't supposed to. Before she could even respond, he was a horse, standing before her and inviting her for a ride. She should go home, forget that she ever saw him. Like Kabe, she ignored her guard's feeble protests.
"Just a moment." She turned and walked back to where she had first met Kabe, not far at all, and scooped up the coin purse that he had left lying on the ground. She tied it back to her belt and walked back to the horse and her distressed guard. "Wouldn't want to leave that behind."
"But my lady you can't! Your grandmother is going to kill me when she finds out about all this."
"You exaggerate, now make yourself useful and help me up." Nadya's tone was one that didn't welcome protests, so in exasperation, the guard did as he was told, obviously not happy about it. She settled onto Kabe's back, it felt weird to think about, and adjusted her skirts so they were neatly in place. Her fingers curled into his mane lightly, not wanting to fall but also not wanting to pull on the hair.