I stretched up on my tiptoes and rested my hand against the back of his head, urging him into the crook of my neck. His face buried there, and that’s when he shattered. It happened in my arms, the moment he buckled and bent. We were on our knees a heartbeat later.
“I-I don’t know,” he said in an uneven whisper.
“Don’t know what?” I asked in the most tender way I could express.
“If I regret it.”
“Shh.” I stroked his hair. “You don’t need to think about that right now. You’re here with me. We’re here.” It was all I could do to remind him he wasn’t alone, because in my darkest moments, it wasn’t what had happened that pushed me to the edge of sanity. It was the dark walk along the path, alone.
I didn’t know if his actions were justified. Or if having me here pushed him to the brink and years’ worth of restraint snapped free of his hold uncontrollably. Death was awful. I’d felt the stain it left on my soul, and knowing Dae bore a new mark on his, brought tears to my eyes.
We didn’t move until he pulled back. My hands continued touching him, connecting so he would feel reassured. Those gorgeous brown eyes looked at me, the vacancy gone, only to be replaced by weighted sorrow.
I shook my head and held a smile, despite the liquid still pooling in my eyes. “We’re okay,” I said, an answer to a question he didn’t ask. “We’re alive. And together.” I nodded, and to my delight, he did, too. What I didn’t say was that we’d find a way out of here. That this would all be over soon. I couldn’t bear to lie to this man.
Braxius darted out from the lumpy cloak he’d claimed as his bed, and ran his body along the front of Dae’s chest, like a cat does to one’s legs. Dae’s eyes lingered on the little affectionate creature before his focus was back on me. “I’m so—”
I kissed him, running the pads of my thumbs along his bearded cheeks as I did. I didn’t need his apology. “You came back to me. That was all I wanted.” Words with such raw vulnerability hadn’t been spoken from my lips to another person in years. But I wanted to tell him. Wanted to feel him under my touch. Wanted him to be okay because regardless of beingin this hopeless place, I couldn’t imagine losing him. “When he pulled that dagger…” My mouth closed, like my body physically rejected voicing the thought.
“Come here,” he said, bringing my head to his chest and running his hand in soothing circles against my back. “I’m sorry I did it, if only because you were scared for me.”
He’d barely recovered from whatever had pulled him under, yet still concerned himself with my feelings. This man had my heart blazing even as tears poured from my eyes. After a couple more minutes of simply being in each other’s arms, he told me a tent had been prepared for me. A personal space that I had claim to. He also explained the concerning interaction he’d had with Kasia and admitted he didn’t know what the best course of action was.
“Well, unless you need space—” I started saying before he interrupted.
“I don’t.”
The feral intensity in his eyes made my heart skip a beat. Not a hint of a lie behind those gorgeous dark irises. “Then I think I want to fall asleep in your arms.”
Wordlessly, he stood, extending his hand to mine. We got up, and he lifted the fur on his cot for me to crawl under. I did, and he joined.
He pressed his chest to my back, wrapping his arms around me. I would have thought only magic could have accommodated us both on the tiny bed, but the way I molded to him, like we were designed to fit just like this, was all it took for my eyes to close.
I hadn’t slept that peacefully in ages.
Dae had already risen, retrieved breakfast, and brought it back. Today, he took on the responsibility of sharing his egg with Braxius. I watched as the beginnings of their connection bloomed, Braxius’s tail wagging an exorbitant amount.
Little scamp.
They sat in the chair in the corner while I took up the bed. I studied the way Dae’s body moved. Firm and muscled, but by no means bulky. He was lean. Getting back to Rahana would mean unrationed food portions. I wondered when the last time Dae had unfettered access to food was?
He’d really like the way Rahana operated. I think Rav would really like him, too. They both held a serious air, quiet, contemplative. Not to say they couldn’t be witty or expressive when they wanted, but it seemed like it was their default setting. Introducing him to Radhak would be like bringing him to meet my dad. I could see in my mind’s eye how Radhak would welcome Dae with open arms, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
How would Tio judge him? He’d never seen me pair up with someone romantically. A vision appeared in my mind, all of us together, sitting around a campfire, laughing, telling stories, Dae’s hand on my thigh. Tio would surely point out any physical touch between us in an attempt to embarrass me. The thought had me fighting a smile. And what would Tula say? She’d think he was handsome, for sure. My chest became tight and my stomach dropped.
Was I really thinking about that? About Dae being a part of Rahana? Introducing him to my family? That was absurd, wasn’t it? Too easily my mind placed him in my life, in my future. I knew I needed to shut off the valve to those thoughts. Our immediate situation was far too precarious to allow hope to falter our course.
Speaking of which. I cleared my throat, shaking off the cozy feeling I had from watching these two. “What are the trips to Argora Vale for?”
Dae glanced up at me briefly before tearing another piece of egg white and passing it to Braxius.
“Argora Vale. Why do they go?” I reiterated.
Dae inhaled, sitting straighter in his seat. “They used to make trips frequently. The towns on the other side of Witches Pass held the biggest crop of magic wielders in closest proximity. But with the curse spreading, residents have been moving. It doesn’t save us any travel time to go there rather than the closest town in Windguard now. They still send scouting missions, but I don’t go near those. My focus has been Windguard. Why do you ask?”
“Because I was eavesdropping on The Eleven—”
“Ro,” he scolded.
