“We won the race,” Ethan said. “But only by a hair. Elijah and Gabby came in second.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “But we wouldn’t have won at all if you hadn’t cast that spell.”
There was a beat of silence, before Kiara spoke. “Emma… how did you do that?” Kiara whispered. “How you broke that illusion… it shouldn’t have been within the power of a high priestess.”
Ethan’s gaze landed on mine inquisitively. I licked my lips and said, “I don’t know. I just… did what I had to, I guess.”
Kiara’s lips pressed together. She knew I wasn’t telling the truth.
“What about the other contestants?” I pressed a hand to my mouth. I felt like I was going to puke.
“Nearly everyone made it to the end, but only a few are going on to the next round. The griffin couple froze to death,” Ethan said.
“How could they have froze to death? The snowstorm wasn’t real,” I said in confusion.
“Powerful illusions can trick the mind into believing that they’re experiencing whatever the eyes see,” Ethan said. “In bitter cold, the organs slowly shut down. That’s what happened to the griffin couple. They convinced themselves the whole thing was real.”
Never mind. Iwasgoing to puke. I gagged— Ethan lunged for a bucket. He handed it to me seconds before I tossed up the remnants of my earlier meal.
The room spun again. Ethan was at my side again with a glass of water. I sipped it slowly, trying not to throw up that, too.
Delmare sat on the bed and rubbed my back. “You’re one tough bitch, lady. I would’ve lost by now.”
“Yeah. You’ve made it halfway through!” Odette piped optimistically. “Just two more rounds to go!”
I groaned. I put the bucket on the other side of the bed and lay back. Delmare took the glass of water. Ethan brushed his fingers against my cheek lightly.
“Take some time to recover. We’ve got a few hours before the next round,” Ethan whispered. “You probably need a nap.”
“Fucking probably.” My eyes were already drifting shut. I heard footsteps as Delmare, Kiara and Odette left the tent.
But not Ethan. I felt the mattress dip as he slid next to me. He pulled me against his chest. I counted the beats of his heart as he wrapped his arms around me before I shivered. It felt like that harsh cold from earlier had settled in among my insides, and wouldn’t move. I was grateful for the shifter warmth that Ethan provided. It settled over me like a blanket, and soothed my fears.
“Hey.” He rubbed my arms up and down, creating friction there. Hot damn, if only we didn’t have two more rounds to go and I didn’t feel like shit. I’d be busy trying to get those pants off of him and seeing what he had under there. I mean, the guy was missing a leg, but not the leg that mattered.
“Hey.” I coughed a few times and snuggled into his chest. Never cuddled with a guy before, but this was nice. Wish it wasn’t right after I’d just hacked up breakfast.
“Are you sure you’re okay to continue?” If I heard him right, his voice sounded a little choked up. “I’m… really worried about you. You scared me back there.”
He was being so sweet. I smiled slightly and inhaled his woodsy scent. It sent a thrill from my nostrils right down to my panties. “It was just a tough round. I’ll be fine after a break.”
Ethan didn’t answer. His fingers were lightly stroking my braid. It was putting me to sleep.
“I’ll warn you, I’m a loud snorer.” I yawned.
He chuckled. “Maybe I think that’s cute.”
“You won’t when it keeps you awake.”
“Trust me, Em. I could sleep through the next war. Noise doesn’t bother me.”
I scoffed. “Whatever you say.”
Ethan leaned down. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, until my entire form melted as his lips pressed against my forehead.
He’d kissed me on the head. Oh my gosh. I felt like I was glowing or something. My insides fluttered with joy. It was crazy how such a small gesture could have so much meaning behind it. And I felt every bit of it.
Ethan Nowak actually cared about me. Did I dare to believe he loved me?
