Or her father?
Sighing, she thought of her brethren and friends. She knew more about Wace and Mildred than she did those she’d fought beside for centuries.
And none of them filled her with the passion that Valteri did.
In truth, the Arelim were a bit stodgy. They were nothing like Shadow and Thorn.
Or Valteri.
All rules and decorum, her ilk were an extremely boring lot.
How weird that she had accepted their muted emotions as “normal.”
But then, like Valteri with how others reacted to him, she’d never seen or experienced anything else.
Therefore, she’d never questioned it or thought about what she was missing out on.
While she’d been content, it was nothing like the happiness she felt in his arms.
“Ariel?”
Her blood ran cold at the last voice she expected to hear.
Belial.
Scanning the campsite, she tried her best to find a trace of the beast. All she saw was Ethbert and his brothers, talking on the other side of the fire.
Damn him for his tracking abilities. How could she ever avoid that beast?
“So, here you are,” the disembodied voice said in her ear.
She turned to see the winged shadow beside her. “You wager much appearing this close to the humans.”
He laughed, his voice ringing through the trees, but she knew its pitch was higher than that which the human ear could detect.
The night animals screeched and gave flight at the insidious sound.
In response to the animals, Ethbert and his brothers unsheathed their swords and looked about the forest.
“Milady? Fear not!” Ethbert returned to her side. “Hubert is going to check on the noise we heard.”
She nodded.
His brother clapped him on the back before heading into the woods.
“Pathetic bastards.” Belial laughed. “Do you think I should gather wolves to feast on his hide? Or maybe feed him to something worse?”
“Nay!” she gasped.
Ethbert looked at her with a frown. “You don’t want him to go?”
Ariel cast a heated glare to Belial, then looked back at Ethbert, her temper carefully shielded. “It wasn’t your brother’s search that I spoke of. Rather a response to the sudden cold that bites my flesh.”
He offered her a knowing smile. “I shall get you another blanket.”
Belial brushed a cold, shadowy hand against her cheek. “What a liar you’ve become. I’m impressed by your abilities. What would your father say?”
“For me to gut you.” Ariel slapped at his hand and a fierce jolt shot through her arm.
