“It’s not that I think you can’t handle it,” he said. “It’s that you shouldn’t have to.”
His warm, rough hand gripped the sole of my foot, and I hissed when his thumb brushed raw flesh. His touch was unbelievably gentle, and yet it still sent a burst of pain through me.
A delicious, calming heat spread over my flesh, seeping into the wound and easing my discomfort. Realizing whathe was doing, I tried to jerk my foot away, but Kaden’s grip was unyielding.
“You shouldn’t be using your magic,” I hissed, glancing around as if I expected demons to descend at any moment. “It’s a beacon for Semphrys, and it could alert Alfrigg to our presence here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Please. It takes all of a thimble of magic to heal a few blisters. It’s not enough to attract my father’s attention — or Alfrigg’s. Even if it were, you can’t expect me to stand idly by when you are in pain. Not when there’s something I can do about it.”
His declaration thawed the ice around my heart, warming me from the inside out.
“Is that a mate thing?”
“I haven’t been able to tolerate the sight of you suffering since we met,” he said with a wry grin. “But yes, it is a mate thing.”
I smiled despite myself, lifting my foot to examine the pink, unmarred flesh.
“We’ll get you some better boots when we reach Klodäsch.”
My eyes widened in horror. He wasn’t supposed to know where we were going, but I remembered that Klodäsch was something of a Drathen outpost. We would have to pass through the village regardless of where we were headed.
I reached for my sock, but Kaden was already stretching it over my foot as if he were dressing a child. It wasn’t wet and crusted with blood the way it had been when I’d taken it off. It was warm and dry.
My chest swelled when I realized he’d used his magic to give me dry socks.
Kaden’s expression was focused as he slipped on my boot, tying the laces snug against the top of my foot. As I watched his long, dexterous fingers work, a different kind of heat bloomed in my core.
I wanted those hands all over me.Insideme. I wanted to feel him filling me so that I could banish the ache of not being fully joined with my mate.
Slowly, Kaden lifted his gaze to mine, as if he’d heard my traitorous thoughts.
“Stop looking at me like that, love,” he warned, his voice a low growl.
“I thought we weren’t speaking down the bond,” I challenged. “Or is it just me who’s supposed to stay out of your head?”
“I don’t have to read your thoughts, little huntress. They’re written all over your face.”
My cheeks heated at his assessment, but I didn’t back down. “I can’t help the way I look.”
“I suppose not. But please, Lyra. Do not test my resolve.”
Kaden’s use of my given name was the only hint at just how serious he was. But when he met my gaze, his eyes were burning with such raw male need that my core clenched reflexively.
“You have noideawhat it does to me, smelling how much you want me,” he whispered, his gaze flicking to my leather-clad pelvis. “My restraint is already hanging by a thread.” His jaw flexed. “Test me at your own peril.”
It wasdark by the time we reached the village. The orange glow emanating from the frosted windows was the only source of light, and the scent of livestock, hot iron, and wood smoke wafted up to greet me.
My knees ached. My calves burned. New blisters had formed along the backs of my heels, the skin raw and painful. Only the gnawing hunger in my belly could compete with the ferocious throb of my feet, and when the scarred red door of the inn came into view, I nearly wept with relief.
It was warm and boisterous inside the tavern. A fire raged in the huge stone hearth, where several plump chickens roasted on a spit. Dark-haired fae with ruddy faces were crowded around scuffed wooden tables, thumping their goblets together and sloshing ale onto the sticky floor.
Adriel cut through the crowd like a shadow, heading straight for the bar. He reappeared a few minutes later, his face pinched in irritation.
“No rooms,” he grumbled. “The place is completely full.”
My heart sank. Despite our rough accommodations the last time we’d been here, I wanted nothing more than to peel off my clothes and collapse onto a flat surface, musty sheets be damned.
“We’ll have to try next door,” said Kaden, his expression distant.
