Just moments ago he’d been her entire bedroll and blanket, keeping her plenty warm through the wintery night. Even pulling away this much she felt the loss of his body beside hers, how completely protected and at ease she’d felt curled up against him.
“I guess we should get going soon,” she whispered, fighting the urge to crawl back into bed with him, to curl up against his chest with his big arms draped over her like the heaviest of blankets.
“Soon,” he nodded, sitting up, pulling her into his lap to lay kisses along her shoulder.
Bianca closed her eyes and felt herself losing the battle to crawl out into the dark, cold morning. This was so nice.Hewas nice.
“If you keep this up, I’m not leaving,” she murmured, tilting her head back to expose the inside of her neck for him. Cuddling hadn’t been on the agenda, but who could have known there was such tenderness underneath that rough exterior?
“Mm. All part of my plan to eat you,” he hummed against her throat, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
“Again?”
“Mm. There is a spring not far from here, the water runs clear and warm,” he said as he brushed his mouth against her shoulder. “And you should wash some of the paint from your face.”
“Paint?”
She pulled her little knife half out of its leather wrap, checking her reflection in the metal. Part of the bluish stain that patterned his cheeks had transferred to hers sometime in the night.
A good bath sounded divine. Especially if there was going to be more…curiosity between them.
She watched him sit up, comb his fingers through the longer part of his hair and retie it out of the way. Then he dipped the tip of his finger into the little pot with the blue veined plant. In the bottom some leaves were crushed to ink, which he used to drag the inky stain under his eyes, refreshing it.
“For the harsh light,” he explained. “You’ll see it when the sunrise hits the snow.”
“Mm. And here I was thinking it was to make you prettier.”
“The prettiest, in fact, in all of the Chasm,” he smiled, pulling her closer again.
His touches were lighting up Bianca’s skin with need, but her head felt heavy. Already there was some sense of loss that they would not spend very much more time together. Sure, maybe there would be a little time to explore each other’s bodies further before she returned to camp, and then she would bepacking up the caravans with the troupe of the Hyphae, and traveling off to the next city to perform for other festivals, ringing in the Winter Solstice. There wasn’t enough time to really explore the extent of the curious thing brewing between them.
The world was just too big. She would never run into him again this easily.
Bianca closed her eyes. How could she even begin to want to stay here, after just a night? Sure, she’d always let life take her where it would, like a leaf on the wind, but there had always been one band of actors or another that had needed a good stagehand to travel with them and even been pleasant company. But the thought of returning to her troupe where she was far less appreciated than she was in Tanis’ arms, was less of a relief– even somewhat daunting.
She was so lost in thought, she almost didn’t realize Tanis had stilled, his arms tensing around her as the sound of boots against dirt passed by.
“Tanis!” a rough voice growled from outside the tent, startling them apart. Bianca landed hard on her tailbone on the other end of the tent.
“Dhane,” Tanis cursed under his breath.
“…as in Tanis son of Dhane the Bloodthirsty—?” Bianca whispered, eyes wide.
Tanis nodded, and if the exasperated yet panicked look he had was anything to go by, this was the last person she wanted to meet.
Tanis called towards the tent’s exit, “One moment, I’ll get dressed.”
At that, Bianca tried to slip her leggings back on without rustling the tent. There might not be time to get dressed when the coast was finally clear.
Dhane’s voice continued as he paced by the tent, boots crunching against the icy ground. “The huldira has eaten more of our herd. Two more last night.”
Tanis swore under his breath as he pulled on a new shirt. “Did the others find the huldira’s nest? Are we ready to hunt it?”
“No, but supplies are running low. They found a horse, wandering the woods,” Dhane said briskly. “No rider. Don’t go near it, the thing’s bitten three different hands already.”
Bianca’s head tipped back in exasperation. That would be none other than Horace. At least he hadn’t been eaten himself, and even better, been found. At least, not before he developed some rather vicious survival skills.
“...Some scouts spotted a few caravans traveling the lower roads. I’m heading out with another party.”
