Cael nodded stiffly, then obeyed, turning in the water and exposing his ruined back. She hadn’t seen it this close since their first day in the desert when he’d carried her over his shoulder.
She reached out a tentative hand to caress the scar, prove to him that it didn’t disgust her, but lost her nerve halfway. Instead, she pulled off the dress and swished it around, then scrambled out of the water to hang it on a scraggly tree before returning to the pool.
Her body was hidden below the water’s dark surface, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She crossed her arms over her breasts, tucking her hands into her armpits.
“Okay,” she said. “You can turn around now.”
Cael swiveled, his wing sending a small wave of water crashing over her. The left side of his mouth kicked up. “Why are you hiding yourself, Blondie? You know I’ve already seen you partially naked.”
“Right! I forgot you were a total creep while I was changing in the cell.”
He shrugged, his powerful shoulders glistening. “You wouldn’t begrudge a wounded male a peek now and then, right?”
“You’re not wounded anymore,” she arched an eyebrow.
“Still a creep though,” he said, aiming a pointed look beneath the surface. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
She splashed him, and he chuckled, shaking off his wet hair.
“You barely speak to me for two days, andthisis the first conversation we’re having?” She shook her head incredulously. “We need to talk about what happened back at that fortress.”
His face shuttered and he turned, his dead eyes aimed across the dunes. “No,” he bit out. “We don’t.”
“Cael,” she said softly, reaching for him.
He evaded her grasp and stalked out of the pool, shaking his wing and sending water droplets flying. He stopped at a low, wide rock at the other end, then laid face down upon it, fanning out his wing to dry in the sun.
She blew out an exasperated breath and uncrossed her arms, leaning back to float in the cool water, alone again with her thoughts.
Helping this stubborn male heal was going to be much harder than she’d anticipated.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT
There.” Cael spied movement at the edge of the horizon, just beneath the molten sunset. “Do you see it?”
Xenia shifted on the branch, the only one thick enough to hold their weight. Cael had wrapped them both in his wing, a makeshift camouflage as they awaited their first fresh meat in days.
“I can’t see anything but a blur of orange light,” Xenia said, squinting beneath the delicate hand shielding her eyes.
The small, furry lump—some kind of hare, no doubt—shuffled through the sand. Cael’s Fae eyesight worked just fine, unlike his flying abilities.
He didn’t understand why she kept trying to get him totalkabout it. What the fuck did it matter now? His wing was gone. He’d never fly again. End of story.
Burdening her, or anyone really, with how hefeltabout it wasn’t going to make his wing grow back. And sure as fuck wasn’t going to make him feel any better either.
He shoved the festering thoughts down, deep down, letting them rest at the bottom of that pit inside him—the one that was sure to swallow him as soon as his mission to get her to safety was complete and he returned to his father.
But first, they needed to survive this last night in the Desolation.
The Icthian foothills were about half a day’s trek. And if this oasis were any sign, they’d be at the Dordenne River another half day after. From there, they’d follow the river down into Rhamnos and safety.
Well, relative safety. Different monsters than the ones prowling this desert roamed there. More savage, sentient ones.
The ruddy brown hare continued its hop towards the pool, pausing every few seconds to sniff the air for predators.
If the hare felt safe enough to approach the pool, Cael could suck the air from its lungs. He’d have to be quick though. One brush of his wind against the hare’s fur and the little thing would scurry away faster than he could catch it.
Which wouldn’t be a problem if he could fly to chase it down. He buriedthatthought in the pit with the others.
