He sighed, turning his head against the rock without lifting it so he could look at her. “I feel as if I’ve been heading toward this moment since Avery died. I ran. Rode away from it, but here I am. And I’m afraid Brenna is going to pay the price.”
Instead of immediately denying it, she twined her fingers with his, measuring her words. “Maybe you were drawn here. If you had discovered your magic earlier, would you have stayed in Eldridge? Or would you have come to Calderre, looking for a different set of answers? Maybe you would have continued warrior training instead of becoming a hunter and would have been here all along, just in a different capacity.”
“At that age, an opportunity to join a program with a mission like this? To avenge Avery’s death in some way, and Damien’s? Maybe.”
“But then you wouldn’t have Sev or Brenna.” She couldn’t help the soft smile that graced her lips. “Or me.”
“Mmm. WhatamI going to do with you? My enchantress. Do you think we were destined too?”
Placing her free hand over his heart, she flooded their bond with magic, pushing her very essence toward him. Overwhelmed by something so intimate, the barrier shimmered in her mind, letting her through to his soul while maintaining its guarding presence. “This tells me yes. Does that bother you?”
Shaking his head where it still lay against the boulder, he matched her smile. “I feel like it should, but… no.” Leaning down, he kissed her gently.
Relief and joy soared through her. “Soul-bonds are rare, Rodric.”
“So are enchanting dancers who are also healers, matriarchs, and councilors.”
Laughing, she glanced at him, cheeks heating. “I’m just Celina. Those other things are parts of who I am; they don’t encompass me. And I haven’t decided about joining the council yet.”
“I suppose we can leave that one off for now then.”
Pursing her lips, Celina fought worrisome thoughts. He didn’t seem to have a problem with the individual authority she held, and had been quite supportive as he listened to her work through her thoughts and emotions about the new council and her possible future with it. Still, he’d made it clear on other occasions that he didn’t hold leadership in any realm in high regard.
“Rodric, I know you have strong feelings about government. How will you feel if I decide to take that path?”
“I think the more important question is how willyoufeel? Will it hurt you, to be involved that way?”
His sincere questions warmed her, and she took a moment to consider. She’d set out to find her brother, but the mission had become so much more. The boy they’d found and turned over to the Wolflumen. Brenna and the other children’s impending rescue. The constraints of how the Lightning Teams actually operated in the field coming into clear focus. Through it all, she’d found herself cataloging all the possibilities, the need for change and improvement. They weren’t the fear-based thoughts she’d had before about leading the program.
“I’m beginning to feel differently. But I’m not sure if it’s enough to not be afraid of it. I need to be certain. They deserve that much.” She swallowed hard and admitted her major remaining fear. “What if I’m not strong enough to follow my mother’s lead?”
“I think you are. But I’ll respect your choice either way. There’s no need to focus on it yet, just let it be for now.”
“Alright.” Her next words died on her lips at the remaining strain on his face. He didn’t need the added stress of discussing Calderre’s government. The mission, and wrestling with his magic, was enough.
Kneeling, she turned to face Rodric, putting her hands on his shoulders. Jed gave a disgruntled squeak and hopped off his lap, scampering into the nearby trees. Rodric gave her a questioning look as he lifted his hands to her waist to support her.
Leaning down, she kissed one cheek, then the other, keeping her movements soft and slow. “We’re not following orders.”
“Oh?”
“Cass ordered you to vent some steam. I think we can find a creative way to do that with the time we have left.”
“Celina.” An indecisive look at odds with the sparkling heat rising from their bond crossed his face.
Dropping her lips to his, she stroked him, tangling her tongue with his in sudden quick movements. His hands tightened on her waist, pulling her down sideways into his lap and holding her tight. Continuing, she urged the passion higher before abruptly pulling her head back out of his reach.
“That’s not exactly what I meant.”
A startled laugh escaped him, lessening the strain around his eyes. “Oh, really?”
Smiling mischievously, she shook her head. Arching her back, she circled her hips in his lap, making those forest-green eyes flash with molten fire. His fingers slid lower, gripping her hip bones in a tight caress that awakened her need with a rush, half convincing her to give up her plan and straddle him, to meet her ache with his own. Not yet, though. He needed more than sex to get rid of the stress pummeling him, to ensure he was at his best for the mission. Time to give the hunter what he truly needed, and in doing so, show him she wanted not just the man and the healer he refused to admit he was, but the core of him. The man he had chosen to become the day Avery died.
Pressing deeply into him, she flexed her hips again, giving them both just a hint of intimate contact. When she grazed his ear with her teeth, his entire body shuddered. With a final lick, she breathed her challenge to him. “You can keep me… if you can catch me, Preddari.”
With that, she took off into the forest. Monitoring him through their bond, she felt his stunned response, giving her a head start before whipping heat engulfed him and he leapt from the ground, taking off after her. The heat took her by surprise, and she stumbled slightly, paying more attention to him than her feet. If she wanted the chase to last more than a minute, she needed to focus.
Zigzagging through the trees as fast as she could to gain some distance, she darted through the dense forest, heart picking up speed with every step. Seeing a low-hanging branch up ahead, she sent up a hope that her muscles remembered how to do this. Jumping, she grabbed the branch and hauled herself up. Barely, but it was enough. Laughing silently at how exhausting that move was, she climbed carefully across the trees at a right angle, changing direction and making her tracks disappear. After a handful of trees, her muscles began to protest, so she dropped to the ground.
