My panic increased with every hour spent without Shade’s presence. When we finally reached the sprawling war camp just outside the large trading village of Yinora, I was fidgeting in my saddle. My legs ached from weeks of riding, and after only being able to wash on the limited stays at the few inns along the way, I was dirty and uncomfortable in my own skin.
Yinora was spread out along a hilly scape overlooking a large plain. A single road ran through the once-grassy area and across the border to a Mortremon village on the other side. The rooftops of the first houses were barely visible on the horizon. Far off in the distance, the snow-covered edges of the Demnocollis Range loomed. It wouldn’t be long before the blanket of white would reach the two villages and the battlefield separating them. Many battles had been fought on the land between the two trading towns, the ground so stained with death even the grass had given up.
Torglea’s war camp was set up on the outskirts of the plain, a sea of navy tents circled by large flags displaying the king’s eagle crest. A statement to those across the border.
The welcome to our arrival was the complete opposite to Prallues’s, people didn’t swarm the streets offering treats and trinkets. Instead, gaunt faces watched on from open windows, the clopping of hooves on uneven stone streets the only sound.The somberness was evidence of the war they had been witness to for years.
The wind was harsh and biting, so I tugged my coat a little tighter around me. It was late in the day, meaning Eleanor was at my side when we passed an orphanage. The children playing in the streets were dressed in raggy clothes, skin pulled tight in a clear sign of malnourishment.
Eleanor waved and sent a warm smile, her shoulders slumping when it was met with solemn expressions. Her eyes found mine, and the moisture in them reflected my own emotions.
These people had seen war. They had seen death. If the number of children we’d just passed was any indication, they had lost many loved ones. My stomach roiled at how many had experienced what we had—those children didn’t deserve this.
Even our procession was silent as we reached the worn tents, the soldiers there much like the villagers, grim faced and desolate.
Once we’d dismounted, Wista led us to our assigned tents, and all sympathy for the villager’s plight fled my mind, my sole focus zeroing in on one thing alone.
Shade.
I couldn’t wait to see him, to let him free again. It was the longest he had been locked away since the first time I’d released him, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how he was faring. I practically fell through the tent’s entrance in my haste, lamp in hand and knife at the ready. I pricked my finger and rubbed the pooling blood against warm metal.
Smoke unfurled from the spout, the lilac and sandalwood scent of purloe surrounded me, and I breathed in deeply. Gods, how I missed that, it had been too long.
Before Shade had fully formed in front of me, I launched myself at him. He caught me easily, strong arms wrapping around my body and pulling me close, and I wound my legsaround him. I pressed my face into his neck, soaking in his scent. His warmth.Him.
A sob ripped from my throat, and the tightness in my chest dissipated, all the built-up anger and frustration melting away with his touch. He nuzzled into my neck, seeming to need me just as much.
“We’ll find some food,” Eleanor said, ushering Wista and Meline outside to give us some privacy. Thank the Gods for my beautiful and thoughtful sister.
Once we were alone, Shade leaned back to study me intently, cupping my face like he was memorizing every inch, his thumb reverent as it brushed my cheek. Those gray eyes weren’t quite shimmering silver, but they whirled with emotion. I got lost in them, taking him in as he did the same.
“Are you well?” he asked, just hearing his gruff voice made that missing hummingbird appear again, wings beating against my stomach at a rapid pace. I smiled softly and rested my forehead on his chest again.
“I’m fine. We couldn’t get away, we’re in Yinora.” I sighed, the exhaustion of the long journey catching up to me now that I was in Shade’s arms again.
“I thought as much,” Shade said, placing me on my feet. I swayed slightly, and he helped to remove my traveling jacket. A small pot of hot coals sat in the corner, heating the tent. “Have you seen the army yet?”
“We only just arrived; I came straight here to let you out, Terym needed to check in with his generals anyway.”
“Did you miss me, Solis?”
The pet name never failed to send a flush of warmth flooding through me and heat pooling in my core. The others returned before I could respond, laden with trays of food. The scent of roast meat and gravy made my mouth water, actually hungry forthe first time since I’d sent Shade into his lamp the morning we left Prallues.
We scarfed down the meal in silence while Wista prepared a bath. Once ready, I was quick to send her away, knowing she would be just as tired as I was after the long journey. Eleanor left shortly after, Meline fetching her when her own bath was ready.
I was tempted to take a long soak in the warm water, but I wanted to be with Shade even more, so I stayed in the water long enough to ensure I was properly clean, then donned a nightdress Wista had laid out for me. One of my own since I refused to wear another of those lacy things since theweddingnight.
Although it was more conservative, when I stepped out from behind the privacy screen, Shade’s heated gaze made it feel anything but. He perused my body, those beautiful gray eyes lightening until they glimmered silver. The intensity of his reaction heated my blood, need consuming me so suddenly I squeezed my thighs together.
I had gone so long without him. Too long. I needed him.
Now.
As if he could read my thoughts, he crooked his finger, beckoning me closer from his spot on the large bed.
“Come here, my Solis.” Laced with obvious desire, his voice took a deep gravelly edge, sending another wave of heat through me. When he commanded me like that …Gods. It lit my nerve endings on fire, turning my insides into a needy, wanton mess. It made me crave him even more.
Quick to obey, I met him at the bed and stood between his spread legs, waiting to see what he would do. He brushed a wet strand of hair behind my ear, cupping my cheek and pressing his forehead to mine.
