“You have to come,” Semuel said. “There’s a nice spot near—”
“Yes! You have to,” Amani boomed, wrapping an arm around mine.
“Not tonight,” I said. I wished to know what Aegir had planned for us. “But tomorrow, the three of us can spend the whole day together, like the old times,” I added, giving a warm smile to Semuel and Faern.
“Then tomorrow I’ll take Oscar and Stormy out for a hunt,” Aegir said. Amani frowned. “You can come too,” Aegir added, looking at his sister.
“Of course I’ll come, I don’t need your permission.” Amani crossed her arms.
“Who’s Stormy?” I asked.
“Oscar’s shadow.” I raised a brow. “His dog.”
“Oh! Why don’t you take Marshen with you as well?” I suggested.
I think Marshen was finding the right words to kindly decline, but Aegir beat him to it. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
“I’m more of a fishing kind of guy,” Marshen mumbled.
“Well, tomorrow you’ll be a hunting kind of guy. It’ll give us time to go over that bargain we left unsettled.”
“Seems like plans are set then,” Amani said, placing her arms around Semuel’s and Faern’s necks. She made them follow Yanik and Leannon. Marshen trailed behind, then closed the door behind him, giving us the privacy I was craving.
CHAPTER 82
Aegir unsheathed his dagger, then tore off the sewn edges of one of the expensive-looking, silky tablecloths. He took one of the talismans from my hand and wrapped the fabric cord around it as if he were wrapping a little present.
“Turn around.”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. I lifted my hair and he tied the cord around my neck, adjusting the height of the necklace until it reached my breastbone, just below my other necklace.
“Here, let me hold this for you,” he said, pocketing the other talisman.
“Careful not to blush,” I quipped, a smirk tugging at my lips. I turned myself around.
“I had a feeling you would bring it up; I didn’t think it would bethissoon.”
“Three months?”
“Nah, notthatfar.”
“You know what I meant.”
He grabbed me by my chin and sighed through smirking lips. “My gods, Cordelia. Ever so curious, are we now?”
I batted my eyelashes once, not denying his implication.
“Well, if youmustknow, I wrote the letter when we were in Dunehaven.”
“The one you were writing on the bed?”
“Looks like someone was paying attention to my actions.”
“I can say the same for you. And all the while I thought you would leave me behind.”
He barked out a short laugh. “Leave you behind? You were in Dunehaven because I couldn’t do just that.”
“I know that now.”
