“Just be a good girl and eat your apple before I give it to the horse, okay?” he said, giving her a wink.
Her cheeks turned pink, and this time he knew it wasn’t the cold. “Suit yourself,” she said, taking a bite. He watched as some juice dribbled down her chin, and she proceeded to wipe it off with the back of her hand.
Fuck, now was so not the time for all the dirty thoughts that image just gave him.
Turning away once more, he took a bite out of his bread as he went to ready their horse.
After finishing her food and kicking out their fire, Ena came over just as he finished securing the last of the saddlebags. He got her mounted up first before climbing up behind her, his body snug against hers, and wrapped his arms around her waist to grab the reins.
As always, it was the most exquisite torture. The smell of her surrounded him, and he could feel the curves of her body tucked up against his. He could touch her in a million small ways all day but in none of the ways he wanted to—the definition of teasing. He loved it and he absolutely fucking hated it at the same time.
But he knew their cozy little torturous routine wouldn’t last. If they made good time, they’d be meeting up with Turner and Steig at the rendezvous point later today, and then…he’d have to finally tell her what was coming.
He’d already put it off way too long, but they’d been focused on moving as quickly as possible, dodging villages and taking back routes to throw any would-be pursuers off their trail. Or at least that’s what he told himself. In all honesty, he was just being a coward.
Because there was that voice…that nagging worry in the back of his head. What if she changed her mind once she knew? What if she decided to leave?
But he couldn’t hold off any longer—she needed to be prepared, even if it…changed things. So he’d break the news to her, tonight, once they reunited with Steig and Turner.
And if she accepted it, which he hoped to fucking Iblis that she did, then maybe it would be time for a different conversation—one that scared him nearly as much.
Did she want to be with him now?
He’d tried for so many years to forget her, to push her away with his anger…but now she was here. She’d come with him. She knew everything—well, almost everything—and she’d still chosen to come.
Yes, it was first and foremost to help with the amulet and breaking the bond, but…she’d said she washis. And as Iblis was his Master, as much as it scared him, he wanted to have her, in all the ways he’d always dreamed. Would she let him?
“You alright back there?” Ena asked, giving him an arch look over her shoulder.
“Yeah, of course. Why?” he said, clearing his throat and trying to clear his mess of thoughts.
“You’re just squirming like a worm. Do you need to pee or something?” she asked, and he could hear the teasing smile in her voice.
He couldn’t help but smile back. “No, viper,” he said drolly. “Just trying to get comfortable.”
“Here,” she said, wiggling forward slightly in the saddle. “Is that better?”
“No, it’s worse,” he said, pulling her back into him so her ass was cradled between his thighs as it had been. “I’m done squirming, I promise. We’re almost there.”
They’d been riding most of the morning, their horse weaving easily through the sparse, short evergreens. Long gone were the oaks and maples that dotted the landscape further west—the climate here was drier and harsher this close to the Chasm Mountains. Luckily, the snow had melted with the morning sun as the temperature crested above freezing, but with the brisk pace their horse was keeping, it was still fairly cold.
“Where exactly is ‘there’?” Ena asked cautiously, glancing over her shoulder at him again. “Where are we meeting them?”
“It’s a cave hidden behind a waterfall—a small one. Steig, Turner, and I used to play there as kids when we were given permission to leave the Underworld.”
“Permission from who?” Ena asked, her brow wrinkling.
Did she really not know? It didn’t sound like she’d been taught much of anything about daemons and the Underworld, but still, for the witches to not teach her even the basics…it seemed downright insulting.
“Cole, my uncle. He’s the king.”
Ena paused at that, and Ty could see her delicate brow furrowing in confusion. “What’s a ‘king’?” she asked, sounding out the word like it was foreign, which apparently it was.
Ty tried to suppress his smile. He supposed it made sense. She’d been raised by the witches, who chose matriarchs to lead their Covens—witches with strong Gifts, to be sure, but also women who were adept at leading and uniting others. She’d clearly never been exposed to another way of doing things.
“A king is…like a leader. Kind of like your matriarchs, only…their opinion is unilateral. They don’t need to consult others; their word alone is law.”
“So Cole, your uncle, he makes all the rules for the daemons by himself?” Ena asked cautiously, seeming surprised by this development.
