A small scowl crossed his features. I gave him a small smile before I felt it even out.
“I…” I licked my lips, shaking my head. “I don’t understand it. This part of my gift, it’s all so new.”
A long breath escaped his nostrils and his chin tilted down again. I feltterriblelying to him, keeping the truth from him. But until I worked through this new manifestation of my gift, I wanted to keep it to myself, or at leasteasehim into the knowledge that his sister was still…alive in spirit. And lingering.
“Will you,” I began, “tell me about her now?”
“Not here,” he said.
His eyes slid over my shoulder again and I nodded, smoothing my thumb over his cheek one last time before I rose from his lap.
“You will not ask me why?” he asked, staring up at me, his tail curling around my ankle to keep me steady.
I already knew why but I told him, “Your reasons are your own. This is your story, after all. And hers.”
Slowly, his tail released me and then he stood. We dressed quickly, pulling on trews and furs in silence, though he watched me the entire time. His gaze made me feel shivery and strange…but protected. I realized that I feltprotectedwith him and that knowledge made me freeze as I tied the laces on my trews tighter. I racked my brain and realized the last time I’d felt truefearfor my life, fear I’d felt almost every day under the Dead Mountain, had been when thejrikkiahad attacked us in the forest.
“What is wrong,leikavi?” he murmured, coming to me after sheathing his daggers to the x-shaped holster across his chest, daggers I’d rarely ever seen him without.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I told him. I shifted on my feet, craning my neck to meet his eyes. Davik was so tall, so broad. I’d noticed that thedarukkarsdidn’t even have his level of strength, as if aVorakkarhad to be stronger than all of them.
My first instinct was to shield my thought from him. Then I realized Iwantedhim to know, to have it.
“You make me feel safe,” I said quietly. “That’s all. I realized it just now.”
A gruff sound bubbled up from his throat. His hand slid into my hair and tingles erupted over my scalp and journeyed down my spine, the sensation pleasurable and warm.
“It’s a nice feeling,” I whispered when he drew close.
Then he was kissing me…but it was different than how we’d kissed before. This kiss was untamed and raw, bordering on desperation andanguish. Before I knew it, tears had welled up behind my closed eyes and I clutched at his shoulders, fearing that if I didn’t use them to anchor myself, I’d fall away completely and disappear in a single moment.
He wasconsumingme. But I had the strangest sense that I was consuminghimas well, taking him into my body in an entirely new way that had nothing to do with sex.
His scent was warm and heady and musky and it made my head spin as we kissed evenharder. His body was thick and solid against me, tethering me to this place, this moment. And it didn’t frighten me—the intensity of this kiss—because like I’d admitted to him…he made me feel safe.
It felt…freeing.
All at once, my mind flashed to Devina. To her sad eyes as she pleaded with me to help him so she could be freed, so theybothcould.
I broke the kiss, drawing in ragged breaths as his lips landed across my cheek, my jaw. He stooped low, dragging that hot mouth down to the column of my neck where he nipped and laved andmarked. His tongue soothed his bites and I shivered, though heat was building between us fast.
“Don’t distract me,” I whispered, stepping away on shaky legs, giving him an equally shaky smile.
“I changed my mind,” he rasped to me, his fingers loosening the tie over my furs. “Let’s go to our bed instead this night.”
Our bed.
How good those words sounded…as if Iownedsomething. As if I owned something withhim. As if I had a right to be in that bed at all.
“No,” I told him, stepping away from those dangerous, dangerous hands. “Let’s go before you actually change my mind, horde king.”
He let out a deep chuckle, though it sounded slightly strained. He let out a small breath and the sound filled me with relief. At least I knew these emotions weren’t one-sided. At least I knew he was as affected by that kiss as I’d been.
We walked from thevolikiand I was surprised when Davik led us towards thepyrokienclosure. Thepyrokimaster, themrikroI believed he was called in Dakkari, was absent, gone home to his own bed for the night.
Davik let out a shrill, sharp whistle at the fence and I heard movement from the shadowy figures in the darkness. The sound of taloned claws running in the earth, and then hispyrokiwas before us, tossing her long neck when she saw her master.
“Her name is Nillima,” he told me quietly. The encampment behind us was dark and silent, though I saw smoke rising from some of thevoliki, some still glowing with the warmth of the fires burning within. “She is one of my oldest friends.”
