She wrinkled her nose and looked up with half-lidded eyes. “Then you should have thanked me there and not barked at me like you owned me, King Grouchy Pants.” She stretched and yawned. The faint bruises on her forearms were still visible, but the darker ones on her shoulders had lessened.
My chest tightened, and my heart skipped a beat. Though I was scowling at her, she beamed that wry little smile of hers at me, pulling her lips up ever so slightly to the left in a way that cut straight through my heart. This woman was dangerous. She didn’t even know how much power she had over me.
The urge to tell her she was my mate rose within me again. She had no idea what we were to each other. Perhaps that was for the best. She had fallen into a new world where nothing was familiar to her, and now she was trapped with me. Explaining mate bonds and all they involved would be a difficult business under these less-than-ideal circumstances. Throwing her in an icy holding cell in my dungeon had not been the best of ways to make our introduction.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t bargain with her though.
I grunted and strode to the shelf. The cloth-covered plate sat waiting, and I carried it and a waterskin to her bedside, keeping my expression stern despite the warmth that threatened to crack through my facade.
"Here." I thrust the plate at her, pulling the cloth away to reveal the dried meat, hard biscuits, and preserved berries. "It isn't much. The way points aren't stocked for fine dining, and I..." I cleared my throat, irritated at my own hesitation. "I apologize that it isn't better. But you need to eat. Your body requires fuel to finish healing. Eat all of it, or you will see how grouchy I can be."
She blinked at the offering, then at me. Something unreadable flickered across her features, and she cocked an eyebrow. “What? You’d throw me out into the cold after yourescued me? Seems like a waste.” She pulled herself into a sitting position, keeping the furs tucked around her chest with one arm while she took the plate with the other. Her movements were still stiff, careful, but steadier than before. The medicine had done its work well. “Fortunately for you, I don’t like being hungry. I love food, and I’m not picky. I don’t want to die either, so you won’t get a peep outta me.”
A peep? What was that? I wanted to ask, but I was afraid of where the conversation would go. She used such odd sayings.
Still, I relaxed. For once, she wasn’t going to fight me on something.
She lifted a piece of dried meat between her fingertips and studied me. “Did you already eat?”
“You care?” My brows rose.
“Well, I don’t know my way out of here, and I don’t have the right stuff to survive.” She scowled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “So, I kinda need you alive. It’s rather unfortunate.”
I’d never struggled so hard to keep the corners of my mouth from lifting. “Ah, well, don’t worry. I could skip a few meals and be fine.”
“You aren’t answering my question.” She lifted her chin. “And don’t lie to me. I can tell if someone’s lying.” She tilted her head and popped the dried meat into her mouth. The spark had returned to her hazel eyes, and they danced, even though I knew she had to be uncomfortable. Muscle soreness wouldn’t vanish that swiftly, and the worst of the bruises would take at least two more days to heal.
“I would not disgrace myself with a lie, and I have tended to all my needs that could be satisfied.” I raised an eyebrow back at her, mirroring her expression.
She studied me, chewing the dried meat slowly. "That's not an answer."
“It’s the answer you’re getting.” I picked up the flask of whiskey and took a shot. Not as good as lorn leaf by a long shot, but I needed something to quiet this storm inside me and chill the heat raging through my veins. I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. “And we need to talk. You cannot try to escape again while we are out here. We are in the middle of the wilderness, and even if you took the caribou, you would have no chance of getting to safety before you froze to death or were torn apart by predators.” I paused, then lessened the gruffness in my voice. “Though you would certainly make matters difficult for them, and I have no doubt that you would prove resourceful. You have done so at every turn thus far. You have a warrior’s spirit.”
She stared at me, her brow still creased. With a dip of her head, she lifted the waterskin as if in a toast. “Go on.”
I took another drink of the whiskey, focusing on the burn and trying not to imagine what thoughts might be sliding through her mind or what it would be like to hold her again and test our spirits against one another as mates did. True mates challenged one another to be better, smarter, and fiercer. And she did all of that as easily as breathing. “I have no desire to harm you. We started on the wrong foot, and your arrival was a…great surprise to me. But I don’t wish for it to remain this way. So…I think it is time we made a bargain, Hannah of Tennessee.”
CHAPTER 19
Hannah
Let’s make a deal.
My mouth dried to the point that I couldn’t swallow. I paused, knowing I couldn’t take a bite of the hard, flaky biscuit I’d raised halfway to my mouth.
The heat from the firepit brushed my cheek, and the fire popped hard enough to make me flinch. For some reason, his words sounded like an ominous version ofWe need to talk. Still, I couldn’t let him know he’d unnerved me. Men liked having that power, and maybe that was why he wasn’t currently as grouchy. Softening me up to try to get me to agree to sell my soul and live in an icy, cold prison cell. He might be sexy, and I enjoyed looking at his body, but I was going to pass.
With my free hand, I took a large swig of water, then bit the biscuit. Not wanting to rush an answer, I chewed and swallowed. “What kind of bargain, Kairos of Hypothermia Land?”
The corners of his mouth twitched, and then he dipped his head forward and set his hands on his belt. “To start, you need to understand something about yourself.” His gaze moved over me in a way that made my skin prickle. It wasn’t leering, just thorough. He took a step closer to the bed, stopping a finger’s-width from touching distance.
That strange yank in my chest had strengthened overnight, and a traitorous part of me wanted to inch closer so we could touch. The memory of his warmth and the comfort of his arms around me made me ache.
No, this could always be part of the ruse. Plenty of guys had used me and then gone cold right before they went psycho.Come on, Hannah. Focus. What is wrong with you? He’s trying to lead you into his trap.
I straightened my shoulders, causing aches to flare all through my stiff body. To hide the pain, I huffed. “And what is thisthingI need to understand? Other than a delightful pain in the ass.” My stomach still ached from being carried bent over the caribou saddle and all the falls I’d taken.
“You are at least part Day or Aurora Fae. Perhaps both,” he said flatly.
