That’s when the troublesome little asshole reappears.
The squirrel leaps onto my chest, its form more visible now thanks to the shadow cast by the cliff wall. Its whiskers twitch, face tilted in what almost looks like concern.
“Are you following me?” I mutter as I sit straighter. It moves to my shoulder, and for a moment, the interaction is almost amusing.
Until I remember what this squirrel is.
A sliver of a Sinless’s soul.
If that wasn’t enough to sober me, the reminder of what it means when a Shade takes too much interest in someone does.
Shades only stalk the people whose faces they want to steal.
Whose bodies they want to consume so they can become Incarnate.
The squirrel may be cute now, but that can change in an instant.
I tug my hood over my head and brush off my shoulders, hoping I’ve dislodged the troublemaker.
I’m soaked and freezing by the time I make it back inside the cave. I skirted around the ledge and climbed up a much milder incline. It was the longer way around, but it beat scaling a wall with my frozen fingers. Dominic still isn’t back, so I make haste in removing my icy clothing, partially to dry it but also to ensure the Shade hasn’t hidden anywhere. I see no sign that it followed me inside, so my muscles relax.
Once my clothing is hanging from vines around the fire, I cast a glance at the mouth of the cave, wondering how much time I have before Dominic comes back. Now that I’m naked, I have the distinct urge to wash myself. I saw Dominic do it this morning before sunrise, using the old cup left behind in the cave. He warmed melted snow and a sprig of the rosemary he’d harvested from nearby, tipping the cup slightly to the side to keep its contents from running through the hole punctured in it, and washed his face. He offered me the next cup, and while I enjoyed rubbing the warm water over my cheeks, I yearned to do the same with other parts of me.
I nibble my bottom lip before I decide—fuck it. Might as well take the opportunity now. As quickly as I can, I huddle by the fire, repeating the same motions Dominic made earlier, warming fresh snow with a sprig of rosemary. Once it melts, I pour it over my arm. Then repeat for the other arm. It’s a tedious process, but soon I get lost in the routine, in the scent of rosemary that fills my nostrils, in the momentary warmth that coats my skin. The heat from the fire keeps the water from freezing on my skin, and now only my legs are left. I melt the next cup of snow, stand by the fire, and pour the cup of hot liquid down my thigh—
A clattering sound has me whirling toward the mouth of the cave.
We both freeze. Dominic’s eyes go wide, his armful of firewood rolling at his feet. His gaze sweeps over me as if he can’t understand what he’s seeing. Then his eyes lock on mine, and his jaw tightens. His throat bobs as he works to find his voice. “I’ll…go back out.”
He starts to turn around, and my first reaction is relief.
But his look of startled surprise lingers in my mind. Gods, it waspriceless. The way he dropped his armload. The way his eyes drank me in. I’m torn somewhere between pride that I could inspire such a reaction from him and amusement. I purse my lips to keep from laughing. “You don’t have to leave,” I rush to say. “Just…stay there.”
He halts, back facing me. His rib cage expands with the weight of his heavy breaths. “Why are you…”
The fact that he can’t finish the question amuses me more. He’s truly flustered. While I’d rather not relate my embarrassing tumble from the cliff, I am enjoying his torment. “Why am I naked?” I say, enunciating the last word. “I thought I could use a bath.”
“You should have waited until I returned. So I could give you proper privacy.”
I smirk at his back. “It’s not like it’s something you haven’t seen before.”
He angles his head to speak over his shoulder, but keeps his eyes averted from me. “I assure you, I did not let my attention linger on your body when I took care of you.”
“Why not?” I stand taller, hand on my hip, emboldened by the sudden surge of power I feel. Power overhim,this strong and deadly man. He might not be looking at me, but there’s something thrilling about standing so freely, so bare, in his presence. “Were you uninterested?” I ask, infusing my tone with a taunting lilt. “Does my body not do it for you, Dominic?”
The view of his profile reveals his tight jaw, the slight baring of his teeth. His fingers curl into fists at his sides. His tone dips so low, it sends a shiver through me. “I think we both know that isn’t true.”
His eyes drift ever so slightly toward me, just a glance from his peripheral vision. I hold his gaze without falter, and he quickly looks away, lashes fluttering as if he’s been granted a moment of sweet euphoria. The veins in his hands bulge from how tightly he squeezes them.
Heat blossoms in my core, sparked by his reaction to me. He’s struggling. With want. With desire. I can read it in the stiff lines of his muscles. In the tic at the corner of his jaw. This energy isn’t new, and it filled the cave to the brim all night. Filled us both in the wake of that strange dream we shared. Even before that, when we rode atthe front of the wagon together and I touched his skin while he used layered words to describe the heat between us, the burn we’d feel if we gave in. Before that it was the kiss we almost shared on the roof. This has been growing for weeks.
The memories set me aflame, and my nipples pebble where the warmth of the fire, the heat of my desire, and the ice in the air collide.
“You don’t have to be a gentleman,” I say. “I’m letting you look now.”
A soft sound escapes him. The ghost of a groan. Still, he refuses to turn around. “You should get some sleep now that it’s daylight.”
I take a tentative step closer. Then another, keeping close to the fire. “Are you going to keep me warm, then? Just like you did yesterday?”
