She stands with her hands on her hips, scowling at me.Gods, she has completely captured my heart.
“I’ll buy you a softer one at the next town, me’lira,” I call back, unable to hide the fondness in my voice.
A wistful sigh leaves my lips as I watch her storm back into the tent. “I hope our children inherit her fire,” I murmur.
“You care for her,” Thalric says.
Across the way, Vivienne adjusts the furs in her tent, muttering about barbarism and improper living conditions, oblivious to our conversation.
“That magnificent creature stole my heart the first time I saw her spitting venom at the dozens of suitors who had come for her hand.”
When I saw her in the ballroom, every male there regarded her as a problem to be managed. But I saw someone who had decided, very deliberately, that she wouldn’t allow anything to break her spirit. I recognized that, and I respected it.
I shake my head. “Fools, the lot of them to let her slip through their fingers.” A smile curves my mouth. “But not me. I knew she was the one from the moment I laid eyes on her.”
I simply did not expect how quickly she would become… everything.
Thalric looks at me as though I’ve grown a second head, before turning his attention back to the fire.
Vaelen settles near the edge of the clearing, tail flicking lazily as he watches Vivienne give Aurora a few of our blankets for their tent.
She glances toward me then, and our eyes meet. I’m so besotted with my wife that I cannot help but smile at her.
A lovely pink blush spreads across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and her lips twitch slightly.
She looks away immediately to hide it.
But I already saw it... and that is enough.
CHAPTER 21
VIVIENNE
The fire has burned down low, casting flickering shadows against the tent canvas. The night is quieter now, and the wind has grown a bit colder.
And Auren is still outside.
I sit at the edge of my bedroll, my fingers clenching around the soft fabric of my nightshift.
I’ve never seen a Gargoyle up close before. Even though Thalric is injured, he’s still massive and rather intimidating looking. Aurora seems nice, but part of me is still worried that this might be a trap of some sort, and we should leave.
And yet Auren, the reckless fool, is far too trusting… willing to risk himself for people who could just as easily slit his throat in his sleep.
I push back the flap of the tent and see him speaking in low tones with Thalric, his broad shoulders relaxed, and a smile on his face.
When Thalric goes to speak with Aurora, I stomp over to Auren, catching his wrist firmly in hand. He frowns. “Vivienne, what are you—”
“Get over here,” I hiss, dragging him back into the tent with me.
He opens his mouth to speak, but I press a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Listen to me, Auren. We don’t know these people. They could be dangerous.”
“They’re not going to hurt us, Vivienne,” he mumbles around my finger. “Besides, if Vaelen felt they had any ill intent, he wouldn’t have left to hunt.”
“Oh, well that just makes it all better now, doesn’t it?” I say sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips. “So, because awolfthinks they’re friendly, all is well?”
“Vaelen happens to be an excellent judge of character,” Auren counters.
“Oh, really?” I reply tartly.
