“Maybe I will.”
A slow smile spread across her face.Small steps.
“Celina, about earlier…” He moved her hair away and stroked her neck. “Your heritage won’t stop what we’re building between us.”
“I hope not. But you’re dealing with a lot.”
“Running is a very old, ingrained habit. But I’m not running from the one good thing I’ve found. You.”
“Rodric—”
He shook his head. “My issues are my own. I have some lingering anger against our rulers in Eldridge and the hand they played… still play… in the devastation being wrought, the damage to our families and our people. The community turned on us, but the rulers set the tone everyone follows. It just hit a sore spot I’d forgotten about.”
“The group your mother and sister were part of—did you ever discover who turned them in? Who set the fire?”
“No.” He clenched his jaw, but his fingers stayed gentle on her neck. “My father wasn’t willing to let our name be damaged more than it already had been. He refused to investigate. I was too young to pursue it on my own. The only people I could have gone to for help—the Zafars—were being hunted themselves.”
“Not all of them perished. Brenna won’t either. We’ll fight for her. So will Cass.”
Rodric smiled, gratitude etched into the lines of his face. “Thank you.” He brushed his lips against hers in a sweet kiss.
Letting go of the map, she threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling his head closer. Heat zapped up her spine as she deepened the kiss, arching her back to accommodate the acrobatics of kissing him upside down. He met her need with more fire, tangling their tongues as he chased after her.
“Don’t make me throw water on you two,” Cass threatened as she re-entered the clearing. “I’m sure I can find some. You were supposed to be tracking Connor.”
“Right.” Celina cleared her throat as she refocused on the discarded map. “Tracking.” She smoothed the map, trying to ignore the soft flutter that stayed with her as Rodric combed her hair back away from her face. “I think he’s this direction.”
“How sure are you?” Cass asked.
“It’s not exact. More a pull in the general direction. I’ll need to check frequently to correct our course as we go. At least once a day, maybe more as we get closer.”
Keeping one hand on the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder, Rodric leaned over her to study the map. The touch heated her even through the heavy layers of clothing.
“That makes sense.” Cass ran her finger over the area bordering the edge of Barrett’s Forest. “Morgan was able to find out that they were ambushed in this area.”
Celina’s heart stopped and restarted, making her lightheaded. Sheknewshe’d been right, but it still felt earth-shattering to hear confirmation that her brother had been in the area they were headed. The same area Brenna had disappeared from. “You’re sure?”
Cass nodded.
Fear reawakened, flooding her with new worry. Connor’s lifeforce had been thready and nearly indeterminable for a time, causing her days of panic. But it had been gaining in strength recently. He was alive, somewhere. Hopefully, hidden from his attackers, who might still be searching for him.
“Do Lightning Teams get ambushed often?” Rodric asked.
“Rarely,” Cass said. “Something unusual must have taken place to catch an entire team off guard like that.”
“I just hope Connor knows where they would have taken Brenna.”
“His team does reconnaissance, not rescue, which actually works in our favor. He’ll have the most up-to-date information on that.”
Celina prayed it was the truth. They were getting closer to their goal, yet each day intensified the worry that something would go wrong.
Chapter 15
Duskfilteredtheskyinto shimmering sands as the moon rose, marking the close of another long day of riding. Dry conditions had helped them make up for lost time due to the heavy rain the previous week, easing the tension that had plagued Rodric earlier in the day. He could settle himself as long as they were moving but had trouble with the stillness of night.
One positive outcome of having Cass with them was that he had a second scout. She was a skilled tracker and together they had increased the amount of time scouting ahead. With just him and Celina, he had always been hesitant to get too far from her.
Stopping for a short break, he took a sip of water as Celina stretched, groaning and twisting. Her osa made light caw-whooping sounds as it bounced around her feet, getting its own exercise in after riding in her lap most of the day. The little creature was mostly recovered from its near drowning.
