The back-and-forth push-and-pull kept her on edge.
As she sat down at the nurses’ station, Idan chose to remain standing by Lago’s bed, yet in her direct line of sight.
She ignored him, focusing on her admin.
Still, her mouth felt dry, and she had to force herself to stay composed even though her muscles were tight with a restless, heavy energy.
At one point, she caught her reflection in a mirror in the room; she scarcely recognized the woman looking back: eyes bright, breath shallow, cheeks flushed, curly hair escaping her braided ponytail.
When dawn came, and the first birdsong threaded through the tents, Idan stirred.
He inclined his head to her once, in acknowledgment, and prowled out into the thinning dark without a word.
‘Thefokk?’
In the bed, Lago’s eyes flew open, following her gaze to the entrance.
‘He’s gone to mind the animals,’ he murmured in a raw whisper still hostage to his lingering sleepiness.
‘Mind?’ Sheba asked.
Lago nodded. ‘He needs to feed, water, and check on the young lambs.’
‘What else does this mountain god not do?’ Sheba quipped, not expecting an answer.
She got one regardless.
‘He’s more than a farmer; he protects everything that can’t defend itself across ranges, the gorges, and the Silent Desert. This time, he saved me from a basilisk bull in musth who charged me.’
Sheba arched a brow, gave him a dose of pain meds, and held her skepticism.
Until later that day, when she sat with Toma and Linh on the mess veranda, cold beers sweating in their hands.
‘Idan’s been saving this village for years,’ Toma said, tipping his can back. ‘From predators, raiders and rustlers.’
‘He’s a wild one,’ Linh added, watching the horizon. ‘But he’s also a diligent self-appointed sentinel.’
‘Does he ever speak?’ Sheba asked.
Toma grinned. ‘Not that I’ve heard. Why, you hoping he’ll talk to you?’
He waggled his brows in a loaded suggestion.
Sheba snorted. ‘Nada. I’m done with dating.’
Linh arched a brow. ‘You sound burned, Nurse Munene.’
‘I’m jaded,’ Sheba said. ‘The last man I dated was a polished charmer who turned out to be one of the worst creeps I’ve met. I’m not interested anymore. I’m de-centering myself from the nonsense of romance.’
Toma laughed. ‘Maybe the wild one is exactly what you need to tame your savage disinterest.’
Sheba hummed, unconvinced.
Still, her eyes drifted to the mountain ridge beyond the clinic.
A shiver traced her spine, and sensation arced over her cheek, as if a finger brushed it without touching her skin.
7
