Selvyn followed my gaze and looked up. “Would you like me to make you a fire? Or gather you some mushrooms? I don’t want the darkness to frighten you.”
He was so thoughtful. Being treated with such genuine kindness was so foreign to me that at first I didn’t even know how to respond.
“As long as you’re here, I’ll be fine,” I said. And it was the truth. I wouldn’t be scared of anything as long as I had Selvyn with me.
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my lips before rummaging through his pack. “What about food then? I’m sure you’re probably hungry. Ah, and perhaps another one of these.”
Selvyn extended a tiny glass vial out to me, and without question I downed the tincture, my face scrunching up with distaste.
“I keep thinking it’ll get better, but it never does,” I said before scraping my teeth over my tongue.
“I know it tastes like shit, but it’ll help with any discomfort you might be feeling after today.”
He was right, of course. The lower half of my body ached from being stretched to its limits, but I didn’t regret it, not even for a second. There was something about Selvyn that felt so perfect—so right.
It was curious he’d lost control of his magic while he was inside of me. He’d seemed surprised over it as well…
Selvyn trailed the tips of his claws along my thigh affectionately before clearing his throat. “I spilled inside of you. When we arrive in Belden, Marta can give you a tonic to prevent pregnancy.”
Yes, he was right. I’d used a contraceptive with Jeremiah, but the thought had slipped my mind with Selvyn—and it was unlikely he even possessed such a thing.
I nodded my head in agreement. “That would be for the best.”
He gave me a soft, knowing smile and I wondered if he’d ever considered the prospect of having a child, of moving on to a life outside of the cave.
“Would you like something to eat?”
“Do you have any more cheese?” I asked and propped myself up on my elbows, the length of my brown hair draping down over my breasts.
Selvyn’s eyes drifted over my body before he passed me a wedge of cheese and a stale chunk of bread.
“Thank you,” I said through a mouthful of the salty food.
I was probably the most unrefined woman to grace Selvyn’s cave, but he didn’t seem to mind. He stared at me with a contented smile on his face as I ate.
“Come here,” he said and gathered me—cheese, bread, and all—into his arms.
He positioned me so that I was seated between his legs with my back turned to him. After pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of my head, he carefully combed the sharp tips of his claws through my hair, working out any knots.
I let out a dreamy sigh.
It had been ages since someone had combed my hair.
“I’ll make sure we have a proper meal tomorrow. A special treat for our last night together.”
“Tomorrow’s our last night in the caves?” I sputtered, sending breadcrumbs flying out of my mouth and onto the furs.
Selvyn gathered my hair into sections and wove them together while his tail trailed absentmindedly along my abdomen. “Yes. The following day we’ll arrive at the village before sundown.”
With a rough swallow, I forced down the last of my food and sat there in silence while I waited for Selvyn to finish my hair.
“There,” he said as he tied a leather strip around the end of the braid.
I turned to face him, running my hands over my braid and struggling to find my words. “Sel—” I started to say, but he silenced me by pressing a kiss to my forehead.
He laid down on the furs and tucked me close to his side, the warmth from his naked body radiating into mine.
“Shh,” he whispered against my hair. “Sleep now. Let’s enjoy this while it lasts, hmm?”
