I moved to join him near the side.
"Do not linger," he murmured darkly. "Over and back, or I'll deal with Darin. And we both know what happensafterhe touches what’s mine."
Holy meadows. Shivers wracked through me as I remembered the dance he’d interrupted and the events that had gone down after it. His powerful body driving into mine…
Swallowing my arousal, I forced myself to act normal. "No idea what you're talking about," I managed to say, spreading my wings wide as he gathered sand around him. "Must not have been that memorable."
I was gone before he could reply, and even though poking the sleeping sand dragon wasn't the smartest idea, I finally understood the thrill Mera always talked about when she was dancing on the edge of danger with her Shadow Beast.
And with the possibility of being destroyed in the Delfora in six moons, there felt like no better time to risk it all.
30
As we crossed the short distance to the other ship, the sky was already lightening. The new-moon was nearing, its bright red curving out of the edge of the bluer dark-moon.
Darin waited for us, his second-in-command to the right, both standing in what I had dubbed the “ship stance," slightly wider legs with hands on hips as they stared out across the horizon. Something told me we'd all be doing a lot of “ship stance” over the next few days.
"Welcome," he said, when I landed on the deck and tucked my wings away. "Nice to see you again."
I smiled, but when he stepped to my side, closer than was necessary, I found myself moving out of his way and striding to the center of the deck. Reece, looking pleased for once, landed beside me, his sands disappearing.
"Where are our supplies," he said to Darin as way of greeting.
The Guardian was no longer smiling, his expression blank as he stared at Reece, and I recognized the start of two males about to lose their minds in some stupid dominance contest. Ignoring them completely, I turned to his second in command, the redheaded female he’d sent from the tent before. "Where can I pick up the items?" I asked her.
"This way," she said shortly, making her way toward the back of their ship.
She wasn't particularly friendly, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to make friends.
As we crossed the deck, I noted that their ship looked wider and larger than ours, which would be useful in some situations but not when speed was of the essence. Thankfully, we had first passage, so they wouldn’t slow us down. The redhead left me in a small storage room near a set of stairs that led down into their ship, and I wasted no time grabbing up a couple of the white bags inside.
Reece showed up a second later. “That’s enough,” he told me. “My sands can carry the bulk. You just get back to our ship.”
Wanting to argue with him because he was pissing me off with his moods, I spun, only to find he was much closer than I’d anticipated. Normally I would have felt the heat of his sandy protection, but at the moment those protections were busy gathering bags. Our eyes met, and before I could say a word, his arm went around my back to pull us together with enough force that I actually let out a low gasp.
As I arched against him, he let out a low groan. "Dammit, Lale," he murmured, clearing his throat. "Soon."
He released me with a muttered curse, and needing some space, I stumbled forward on momentarily weak legs before reaching out to gather bags again. As I passed the desert god, he shot me a look that promised to finish what had been started in here, and I was feeling every inch of his touch by the time I emerged onto the main deck.
Darin, who stood near the storage room waiting for us, wore an unreadable expression as he held out a hand. "Do you need some help?" he asked.
I shook my head, frustrated for so many reasons. "I'm stronger than I look. Don't underestimate me."
He held up both hands, expression softening. "My apologies. I was taught to offer assistance whether it’s needed or not."
In the Honor Meadows that would probably get a being killed. But Desertlandians were different, and I had to respect that while in their world.
"Cultural differences," I offered in an attempt to not be a bitch. My wings sprung free as I shot a small smile his way. "See you in the sacred lands. Safe travels."
"You too," he said, inclining his head.
I pushed up off the deck and took to the sky, the four bags held tightly in my grip. During our absence, the two ships had drifted further apart, and from this vantage point I could see it would take extra time for Reece to get us back into position to take the East River.
Once I was over the main deck, I dropped down near Mera, Shadow, and Lucien.
"Was everything okay over there?" Mera asked me, moving to my side.
"Yes, perfectly fine," I said, placing the bags on the deck. "Judging by the weight, and the amount I left behind, we have at least six or seven moons worth of supplies. It should be more than enough."
