“My bloodthirsty princess…what am I to do with you?”
Gasping, she turned to look behind her to find Xaydin leaning heavily against the door of the stable.
Without thinking, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms.
He grunted hard, then smiled as he enveloped her in a warm hug.
She pulled back so that she could look up into those startled eyes that stared down at her.
He quirked an amused grin. “I’m assuming you didn’t think I’d live.”
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again. I was terrified.” She growled at him. “If you weren’t hurt, I’d beat you.”
He smoothed the worry from her brow. “Always remember… I’m hard to kill.”
And she’d never been more grateful for anything in her life. Except for the fact that she did notice something. “You still look…” She didn’t want to say bad, not just because it was rude. But because he could never look terrible.
“Piqued?”
She smiled. “I’ll go with that.” But to be honest, he looked as if he needed to be back in bed.
He wrapped his arms around her again, and she took a moment to savor the sound of his fierce heartbeat under her cheek. That and the warmth of his embrace that went muchdeeper than a physical touch. She felt safe. Something she’d never known before.
I am his.
Those three words should terrify her more than anything, and yet she reveled in them. It felt wonderful to be part of something more than herself. To know she had someone at her back. Someone she could depend on.
Don’t be stupid. You know better.
Maybe, but he’d given her no reason to doubt him. No reason to think he was anything other than a bold lover who’d be there for her.
“You’ve got quite the woman there, cuz. Not many women are willing to gouge out an eyeball for you.”
Xaydin laughed. “I’m sure she’d do even worse.” He released her so that he could approach the shifter. “You…”
Garyn actually wet himself at Xaydin’s approach.
Xaydin grimaced in distaste. “You should be afraid. I tend to take it personally when someone slides a blade between my ribs while they’re pretending to be my brother.”
“I—”
“If you’re about to say you meant no harm, you might want to rethink those words. They will move me into a homicidal rage that I’m rather sure you won’t survive.”
“And they’ll make me…” Ronan paused as he swept a gaze over Xaydin’s massive, intimidating form. “Well, I would say homicidal too, but let’s face it, as massive as I am, I pale in comparison to the troll. Suffice it to say, I shall be quite put out.”
He was right. Had he been alone, Ronan was intimidating. But when standing next to Xaydin, he reminded her of a little boy in his father’s armor.
Adorable. Nowhere near as fierce. And she admired the fact that he not only realized it, but that he had fun with it.
Xaydin let out a slow breath. “So how do we use this bastard to find my brother?”
“Which brother did you lose now?”
Gisela gasped at the familiar voice that came from behind them.
As did Xaydin.
Masakage stood in the doorway where Xaydin had been, along with Candara who had a frown on her face as she surveyed their small group.
