“Coyotes are related to wolves. But either way, they’re nomadic. They may have moved on, which made Caius and Liam travel farther.”
“I think we have enough vegetables to get by without meat.” I’d never eaten much meat at the castle, preferring breads and sweets and vegetables over chunks of steak.
“We need it to be strong. To grow our muscles.”
“It seems like you already have plenty of muscles.” I continued to explore him with my fingers, loving the feeling of his big arms, of his strong chest, the way his stomach was always tight, even when he was at rest.
His mouth remained relaxed, but I could see a hint of a smile in his eyes. “I don’t want to go, but I should.”
“How do you know it’s morning?”
“It’s warmer.”
“It is? I can’t tell.”
“The air grows hotter above in the sun and then makes its way to us. It’s subtle, but having spent my whole life down here, I canfeel it.” He cupped my face and gave me a kiss before he started to move from the bed.
“Wait.” I held on to his arm and kept him close to me. I pulled him into me as I rolled onto my back, getting him on top of me, my soft thighs squeezing his hips.
His eyes were as hard as his body. “You must be sore.”
“I don’t care.” I cupped the back of his neck and pulled him closer to me, bringing our mouths together for a deep kiss with breath and tongue, not the tender goodbye kiss he’d just tried to give me.
He released a quiet moan against my mouth like I turned him on as much as he turned me on.
He guided himself inside me, and he was right. I was sore.
But I was also wet and desperate and anxious for this man, so I didn’t care.
His cabin wasn’t much different from mine, but his presence, even in his absence, made it infinitely more comfortable, so I drifted back to sleep after he left. The fire had burned out, but light from the torches outside was visible in the cracks of the door. In his blankets and sheets and wrapped in his scent, I could lie there forever.
But I was part of this tribe, and I needed to contribute just like everyone else.
I bathed before I started my day and looked at the bow that leaned against the wall, the one Morco had constructedwith such meticulous carvings. My arrows were on the dresser beside it. They were quicker to make but required just as much attention to detail, because a bad arrow wouldn’t fly.
I got dressed then headed to the Gathering, the bonfire burning in the center, people eating their stew at the tables. Morco was at the edge of the clearing, working on one of the bows, so absorbed in his work he didn’t notice me approach the cook.
He poured me my stew, one that had extra potatoes to compensate for the lack of meat, and I stepped away and almost sloshed it all over the person who confronted me.
Allegra.
The second our eyes made contact, her stare dropped. “I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”
That moment was a blur, but I remembered when she’d rushed out and preserved my dignity with her blanket. She’d stayed with me as the fight between Krull and the others had ensued, until Morco returned to me. It felt so long ago now. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for helping me.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
I continued to hold my bowl in front of me, lingering because it seemed like there was more to this conversation, even though it appeared to be over.
“I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you in the past.”
I hadn’t expected an apology for any of that. “It’s okay, Allegra. I understand heartbreak makes us behave in ways that are different from our true selves. You seem like a nice person.”
Her eyes flicked away again, as if shamed by the compliment. “I’m also sorry about your garden…and your bow.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “They’ve been fixed. No harm done.” We’d lost half the seeds I’d risked my life to gather, but I let the water pass under the bridge. Behind her, I noticed movement, and my eyes flicked up to see Morco drawing close since he’d noticed we were in deep conversation.
“You seem like a nice person too,” she said. “You’ve done so much for our tribe, and I was just jealous.”
