“We stay.” He handed me my dagger, which he must have swiped from the bundle. “My guess is it’s mid-day. Take a few hours to recoup. We’re entering that path by morning.”
Chapter 29
By some blessing, the Horrads held no ceremony. But therewasfood. Copious amounts of it.
We were led to where wide-stitched blankets had been laid across the ground. Water came first, followed by piles of flatbread and a train of fire-roasted meats. They were whole, defeathered birds, small and skinny. The meat was plain, but no one cared.
We feasted like gluttons, cleaning bones with our teeth before biting into whatever new bird was placed before us. The Horrads were attentive, refilling cups and offering damp strips of fabric to clean our hands. Even the wolf was fed.
All the while, the body of the slain giant remained where it’d fallen on the ground, completely ignored.
When we were done, our bellies overfull, the Horrad leader escorted us to two small tents behind their own. They nudged me toward one and gestured all four men toward the other. Of course, Harthon ignored them and edged next to me.
“I’m with Etarla,” he told the group. “One of you needs to be outside at all times.” He glanced at the wolf, who’d remained stuck to my side. “With him.”
“He tries to eat me, and I’m killing him,” Aric warned.
My brows slammed together. “They were ready to kill me before he came. We wouldn’t be alive if not for him.” Leaning tothe side, I brushed a finger across the soft fur at the animal’s ear. It made a chuffing sound—in pleasure, I think?
Wonder softened my tone as I said, “He saved us. Try some gratitude.”
“Perhaps he saved us because he wants us for a meal.”
“And perhaps you shouldn’t assume things you don’t actually know.”
My words sounded an awful lot like Josenne’s parting warning.Do not pretend to know things you have no knowledge of, she’d said. I never thought I’d be recycling advice from that woman, but it was fitting now.
Not that Aric took it. He quirked a brow as he regarded the animal, and the wolf’s jaw split, revealing sharp canines, like he knew Aric was debating the best way to kill him.
“Hurt him and you answer to me,” Harthon said evenly.
Before Aric could respond, Harthon tugged me toward our tent. He entered first, one hand wielding a blade, the other on my arm.
The blade turned out to be unnecessary. The interior of the tent was plain but clean, the evening’s muted light filtering in through slits in the ceiling. A thin, lumpy bed occupied the far wall. Near it was a small, wood-carved basin of water, alongside a table holding a pitcher, cups, and more flatbread.
“What you said out there was wrong.”
I spun at Harthon’s abrupt statement. “What do you mean?”
“About the wolf saving us,” he said gruffly, sheathing his blade.
Even now, in the privacy of this tent, he continued to appear as the cold, hardened warrior.
I blinked in confusion. With a heavy step, he met my toes. The stench of sweat and grime came with him, but his familiar musk lingered beneath it. Stiff fingers gripped my chin and tiltedmy face up. “Yousaved us,carella.Do not make the mistake of thinking otherwise.”
I tried to shake my head, but his hold tightened, keeping me in place. I resorted to words, ugly ones that were painful to say.
“In case that head injury has impaired your memory, I made you fight a monster of a man to save yourself. That was the best I was able to negotiate.” My breath turned shaky. “I almostkilledyou.”
He brought his face level with mine. With deliberate precision, he said, “The only wrong you’ve done me is thinking I might actually be killed in a fight,carella.” His cheek twitched with amusement I didn’t share. “Youare the only reason I am standing here. Your strength, your courage, your brilliant negotiation—that is what saved us. Had you not arranged that battle, I would have died a dishonorable death at merciless hands. So would the others. There were no other options for you to broker.” His thumb stroked across my jaw. “And you already know this.”
My eyes fluttered shut as I leaned into that tender, sweeping touch. His fingers could have still been covered in blood and I wouldn’t have cared. “Of course, I know the logic of it.” Maybe it was because my eyes were closed that the next admission came out. “The problem is, I’m far past the point of only considering you with logic.”
It was honest. And revealing. And it felt right to tell him this.
The air by my face shifted, and I felt the light press of his lips on my hairline. “It’s a mutual circumstance,” he murmured, his breath stirring my hair. “And I would never consider it a problem.”
My heart thumped, and I opened my eyes, only to close them again as his lips met mine. The kiss began as something slow and decadent, his tongue gliding against mine, lips savoring.
