“You okay?” she asked, her voice a gentle murmur.
My mental walls were reinforced with Avanfellian concrete, so I knew she couldn’t read me like she wanted to. She didn’t know that I wanted to brand her with my name, my scent, my sweat in every way a man could.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
“Just…concerned about getting closer to the border,” I lied. “To get my mind off it, will you tell me more of your life in Caervorn?”
The way her face lit up at the suggestion, I felt like a cad for having talked so little with her since she’d arrived in Tir Darreth. I’d been running away from her for so long I’d never gotten the full story. Hearing how hard it had been for her in the past few years made me want to pull her close and never let her go. No one deserved to have life be that hard.
The bitter truth was that the Assembly—the very people who’d arranged for her to be with me now—bore the greatest responsibility for her suffering. Should I thank them or want to destroy them?
If pushed, I might do both.
Then we switched to talking about my life before the curse. Throughout our conversation, the monster dozed contentedly, only pulling at me occasionally when mention of something painful arose.
She giggled so hard her entire body shook with the effort of being quiet so those around us could sleep. “So, Nisien stole your father’s crown, and now you’re telling me it ended up on the dog? Whose fault was that?”
“Borrowed the crown!” I corrected, laughing myself, feeling freer than I had in forever. “I…had it in my mind that the dog should be king for a day. We even held a coronation.”
“A regal hound! I wish I could’ve seen it.”
My life probably would’ve been much brighter had I met her earlier. “Yes, well, he ran away with the crown still on his head. The guards chased him down eventually, but Father wasn’t amused.”
“Oh?” she asked, suddenly somber.
“Nisien and I were punished, of course. But I still say the dog ruled more wisely than half the council.”
“I’ve never had a pet.” She shrugged. “Maybe one day.”
The sparkle in her eyes made me want to open an entire zoo for her.
Our conversation dwindled to a few sleepy words, punctuated by the occasional sigh. She was growing tired, but I would’ve stayed up all night if it meant hearing her voice. It must’ve been the small hours of the morning by the time we stopped talking.
She finally yawned, a wide, slow stretch of her mouth, before whispering, “Goodnight, Emrys.”
The urge to kiss that mouth again, to savor the feeling of her fingers on my skin, was nearly overwhelming. Still, this had been more shared intimacy than I’d had in…ever. It had to be enough for me.
It took fewer than five heartbeats to realize I was lying to myself.
I waited until her breathing slowed to a steady, even pattern. Then, I reached out with my magic once again. Her bedroll slid the last few inches until she was beside me.
I don’t think she woke. I took a chance and curled an arm around her, drawing her close to hold her. The curse stirred inside me, eyes half-lidded, licking its claws in smug satisfaction.
I fell asleep holding onto the last bit of warmth in my world.
Chapter 44
Isca
The sun hadn’t yet risen when I woke, leaving the tent cloaked in the pre-dawn stillness I’d always loved. I felt safe, cloistered away from the world.
Part of that safe feeling was probably from the fact that I’d woken up with Emrys’s arm across my waist, my back pressed tightly to his body. It didn’t take brilliant powers of deduction to realize how I, and my entire bedroll, had ended up there so neatly—he’d shown me just last night.
Weeks of comfortable living had softened me. The haven of soft pillows and warm blankets in the castle was a luxury I’d grown far too used to. Now, my back was screaming at me to move to relieve the pressure of the hard ground, but I didn’t want to wake Emrys. I shifted slightly, carefully.
But his arm tightened, pulling me in closer instead. A rigid length pressed into my thighs from behind. It ignited a hidden part of me, rousing it from a deep sleep.
His growl had surprised me the night before, but this marked the second time I felt like I understood the need to make the sound. The desire to push against him, to feel pressure and friction against my skin, was overwhelming.
