“The ice queen is guarding her tower with as much ferocity as a fire-breathing dragon.”
Lucien leaned against the doorframe. “Can dragons not breathe ice?”
I just glared at him. That was not the damn point.
He laughed, the bastard. “Well, then, you may find it interesting to know that I just saw Galyna running through town like demons were snapping at her heels. In a training uniform. Alone.”
I shoved past him out the door so quickly that the asshole laughed again when his back bounced off the wall.
“It’s normal to be distracted when you have a new, unbonded mate!” he shouted after me.
I’d knocked twice on the cottage door, and no one answered.
A third time was a little stalkery.
But walking away was not in me after as long as I’d been waiting to see her, touch her, make sure she was in one piece andokay. I lifted my fist for a third round of knocking, right as the heavy wooden door swung wide.
A sleep-disheveled Elodie stood on the other side, looking hearty and hale.
All I could do was stare.
She was so damn beautiful, even without her usual lipstick. She seemed softer, somehow. Her dark hair was mussed, making me want to smooth it back from her face. She was a bit pale from the few days inside, and it only further brought out the sweet blush on her cheeks as she looked up at me. There was the barest hint of a smile, as if she was happy to see me too, but hesitant to admit it. She was simply perfect, and the sight of her calmed my wolf immediately.
“Valens,” she said coolly. “You’re up early.”
“Usually,” I blurted, then immediately kicked myself. My brain and tongue had fully disconnected. “My pack duties start early,” I added, trying to sound less like a geriatric wolf who puttered around uselessly in the morning.
Even if that feels accurate some days.
She frowned, glancing down at my chest. “What the hell kind of pack duties do you have before daylight that require wearing a leather apron?”
“Today was… a personal project.” I whipped my forging apron off over my head, gripping it in my fist instead.
“Yeah, it’s too early for that too. Do you want some coffee? Galyna made a whole pot before she ran off.” She snorted as if it were hilarious.
Hope soared in my chest at the casual way she invited me in.
“Plus, we should probably talk.”
It crashed and burned just as quickly. I steeled myself for whatever she might say, but I wasn’t giving up on her without a fight.
The guest cottage they occupied was small, quaint, but comfortably furnished. Chosen for its proximity to Olivia and Fiona’s own guest lodgings. It looked like they hadn’t added any personal touches besides their own personal items, which seemed reasonable given they had only been here a few weeks, and they didn’t seem to get any real breaks from guard duty.
Nonetheless, Elodie seemed comfortable in the space. Her footsteps were light as she crossed the wooden floors, gesturing me to a barstool at the dated kitchen island. I sat, eyes trailing her every move as she pulled an ugly eggplant-hued mug from the cabinet, and poured me a cup of coffee. She hesitated after putting the pot back in place. “Do you take cream or sugar?”
“Cream.” It was just one word, but her breath hitched and her gaze lingered on my lips.
She hid it quickly, though, nodding that she’d heard me and turning to the ancient, robin’s-egg-blue refrigerator. Our pack was too poor to update guesthouses that no one stayed in. If this became their permanent residence, though, updates would have to move up the list. I wasn’t even sure when that fridge had been put in. The seventies?
She gave me a generous pour of cream, then slid the coffee across the cracked linoleum countertop and into my waiting hands.
Her fingertips brushed my knuckles, but instead of yanking them away as she would have before, she froze, staring at the single point of contact as if she couldn’t look away.
I turned my hand over, palm up, an obvious invitation.
That snapped her out of it, and she yanked her hand away, wrapping it around her own mug, where it was safe.
Elodie cleared her throat awkwardly as I took my first sip. In my chest, my wolf rumbled his glee that our mate had prepared us something.
