She was going to make me say it.
“Isanara.”My cheeks flushed, but I ignored them. I had almost died at the Devotion Gate. There was every possibility I would not survive the remaining three gates. I was not about to be bullied by a teenager.“If you choose to stay, I will not be held responsible for whatever emotional scarring your precious adolescent mind might have to endure when Garrick and I?—”
“Disgusting!”Isanara hissed, flapping her wings wide. Garrick rocked back on his heels, eyes darting between us.
My familiar launched into the sky in a blaze of iridescent scales, spikes cutting through several thinner branches that got in her way. Garrick blinked at me across the fire.
I shrugged. “Teenagers.”
Garrick served dinner an hour later. I lingered over every bite, humming suggestively as I savored the spices he’d used to season the potatoes and cured bacon he’d sliced into bits and sprinkled over the top. The creamy cheese melted on my tongue, marrying all the flavors together. I’d never learned to cook, but I was usually more than happy to eat.
Tonight, I ate every bite of food in my bowl. I did not want to hear a single word from Garrick the fucking Red questioning my strength for what was to come.
Night fell fully around us as we cleaned out our bowls and Garrick stacked enough firewood to last through the coldest hours. Now was the time of night when Garrick usually retired to his furs to brood, while I argued with Isanara from mine on the opposite side of the fire.
But Isanara was gone, and the only person I would be arguing with tonight was Garrick. It was an argument I intended to win.
I unstrapped my belt first, tossing it down alongside my furs. That should have been his first clue. Usually, I tucked it underneath the spare linen shift I used as a pillow.
Next was my knee-length leather vest. Just like every night, I loosened the trio of metal buckles that held it closed over my stomach and just below my breasts. Sleeping in layers was the only reasonable way to stay warm in the frigid cold of Velora nights. At least when you were sleeping alone.
As I shrugged off the vest, the cold night air rushed in, seeking the covered parts of me that had been nestled beneath its thick insulating layer. My sapphire blue wool gown, embroidered with purple and silver thread, provided some protection. But it worked best sandwiched between linen and leather.
I unfastened the ties that cinched the fabric in on either hip and then dragged the garment over my head. At the same time, I kicked off my boots.
Something heavy hit the ground.
I licked my lips, but forced myself to continue in slow, deliberate movements. I tugged on the neckline of the dress until it popped loose over my shoulders, leaving my unbound hair drifting down over my collarbone, the corners curling around my breasts.
Breasts with nipples that instantly rose to attention beneath my shift.
“What are you doing?” Garrick’s voice was rough, like the stubble on his chin and the calluses on his hands.
“I am undressing for bed,” I said as I turned. I bent at the waist and made a fuss of adjusting my furs, giving ample time for Garrick to admire my backside.
Was it brazen and a little backhanded? Absolutely.
But I was not forcing him. Garrick the Red was a legendary bounty hunter and seasoned warrior. Although I could read his tells and expressions now, he was a male in control of his own body.
I was simply making his choicesveryclear.
“Witch,” he groaned. “This is not a good idea.”
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and nodded. “That is what you told me before.” But I wasn’t about to agree with him.
I reached for the neckline of my shift.
“You are more than welcome?—”
I pulled the bow apart, and the linen fell away to reveal my shoulders and the soft upper curves of my breasts.
“—to let the fire go to ashes?—”
I flicked my fingers, and the fire extinguished, plunging us into darkness.
“—and go to sleep.”
I pulled the shift over my head and tossed it onto the ground between us. The sound of the fabric hitting the snow should have been nearly imperceptible. But I felt the reverberations, and I knew Garrick did, too.
