It would have been better if I felt nothing at all, but here we were.
“I see.” She chewed her lip, thinking. “I have some extra blankets I can bring up to the attic. It won’t be comfortable, but it’s something.”
We didn’t have much choice since I couldn’t force anyone out without revealing my presence. I’d sleep on the floor beside the Seer. “We’ll take it,” I replied, fishingout gold wings and plopping them on the counter. It was far more than the normal rate, but I also needed her discretion. Our arrangement had been mutually beneficial for years.
She scooped them into her pocket. “Bring your horses around back and the stablehands will take care of them.” She grabbed the key to the attic room and dropped it into my open palm. “You know the way.”
“Aye, thank you,” I replied, letting the cool metal bite into my skin. Blowing out a long breath, I returned to the cart. Sylaira had at least sat up and was playing absently with the ends of her long, silvery hair. Most of it remained in a high twist, invisible beneath the hood of her cloak.
I rapped my knuckles against the wood as I circled to the rear. Tugging the bolts, the lip dropped.
My mate finally deigned to acknowledge my existence. “Can you hand me the crutches when I’m down?” She gestured to where she’d placed them by the right-hand side.
Saying nothing, I grabbed them.
Lips pursed, she scooted along, careful not to bend her leg and aggravate the injury to her knee.
“Is it hurting you?” I asked her, unable to feel more than a dull throb down our bond.
She shook her head—a fraction too quickly—breath ragged from the small exertion. “Save your concern for someone who appreciates it.”
“I wasn’t concerned.” Her stubbornness set my teeth on edge, but I let it go. White unfurled around her, wrapping up her leg as she swung them over the lip. Bracing the supports against the ground, she prepared to descend.
My fingers twitched with anticipation, body primed to jump in and assist her should she need it.
With surprising grace, she eased onto them, managing to keep her bad leg aloft. She swung herself toward the inn’s doorswithout a backward glance. I strode ahead, holding it open, then following her inside.
The tavern wasn’t large, and at the moment, it was empty. Which gave her a perfect view to the staircase that led upstairs.
She tucked her hair behind her pointed ear, flashing the array of gems pierced into it. I’d not yet been close enough to study them the way I wanted to.
I approached, coming to a stop close enough to scoop her up. Her focus whipped to me, those icy orbs drinking me in with a healthy wariness.
“The only room available is in the attic. I’ll have to carry you up the stairs to it.”
“Absolutely not,” she snapped, stormclouds darkening her expression. “I’ll fly. Go open a window.”
A scoff slipped out of me before I could stop it. “And let you practice escaping? I don’t think so.”
Her lips curled back from her teeth. “Then I’ll use my magic to haul myself up.”
“And injure yourself further?” I lifted one brow, waiting for her to challenge me again. As much as I hated it, the back and forth heated my blood. There were so few times I really had a good hunt. Even though she was already in my proximity, this banter made me feel like I was chasing her all over again.
She stuck her tongue in the side of her cheek and looked away, studying the staircase before her.
I edged closer, caging her backside with my body, and leaned down to her exposed ear. “You can attempt the first set and I can carry you from there, or we can get this over with as fast as possible and I’ll carry you the whole way.”
A shiver rolled down her spine, almost imperceptible. But I was highly attuned to all things Sylaira, and she could not hide from me.
“Are you really giving me a choice?” she rasped, a tremor fracturing through the words.
“A rarity, I’ll admit.” My breath ghosted over her neck, bringing pebbles to the skin visible around her tunic.
She swallowed, hard. The predator in me loved the fragile motion. “Let’s get it over with, then.”
I smiled at my victory. White snaked out of me, coiling around her leg, and then, I caught her in my embrace, the wooden braces falling to the ground. A small gasp escaped her, and the sound instantly brought images of her doing it while I moved inside her to the forefront of my mind.
Just the bond.
