Page 72 of Her Ivory Flame

“Who’s hungry?” Titus asked near the wagon and all the men jumped to their feet.

There was no way she was hungry at this point and could feel her stomach twist into knots. Stress was taking over her body and the thought of going to bed early was very appealing.

“You should eat.” Raine whispered.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied and stood up.

She intended on walking to her tent, but a familiar arm stretched in front of her to stop her just before she pulled the canvas back, careful not to make contact.

“Eat,” Kaden said softly, his tone throwing her off but she didn’t let it sway her.

“I’ll be fine,” she snapped and pushed his arm away.

He didn’t say anything, his eyes slowly scanning her face with a worried look in his eyes. She knew it wasn’t real, just a trick to her eyes and she ducked her head into the tent without another word.

Chapter 26

Her lungs sucked in air as she gasped, her body throwing herself upright and she could feel the sweat on her back.

The wind was howling outside, the canvas tent rustling loudly around her and seemed to barely stay staked down. Raine was sound asleep next to her, indicating she wasn’t screaming in her sleep and she was relieved for that.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hands and pulled herself out from under her blanket. The glow of the fire could still be seen from the other side of the canvas door. She needed to get some air.

She pulled the door back a little to peek out into the darkness wondering who was up on watch. No one was at the fire, but she could see Kaden standing towards the treeline talking to someone.

She didn’t figure they needed two people up for watch, but maybe they were switching shifts. No one decided to fill her in on the plan, or maybe she went to bed too early for them to tell her.

She shuffled her boots on and made her way out of the tent, her chest expanding as she took in a deep breath. The scent of trees and flowers filled her nostrils and it made her anxiety lessen.

When her eyes moved back to where Kaden was, he was alone and the other person was nowhere to be seen.

Questions filled her mind but she didn’t want to jump to anything, maybe no one had been there and she was seeing things.

Kaden’s eyes saw her and he started walking in her direction, the moonlight barely lighting his silhouette as he moved closer.

“Nightmare?” he whispered.

She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest, the fire barely keeping the night chill away.

“Who were you talking to?” she asked quietly.

“What are you talking about?” His eyebrow raised.

“When I first looked out, I saw you talking to someone over in the trees,” she said a little louder, her eyes watching him carefully.

His face was schooled into his normal blank stare, his eyes not even giving a hint of any emotions when he answered.

“There was no one there, you must have seen the shadow of an animal or something. I saw a deer not that long ago.” His voice was unwavering, and even after all the time they had spent together, she wouldn’t be able to tell if he was lying or not.

She decided not to push the matter, keeping her suspicious to herself was the best option. He himself even said not to trust him, and at this point she tried not to trust anyone.

“Hmm.” was all she mumbled and stared at the fire.

“Did I do something to upset you?” his soft voice caught her off guard again and she glanced up at him slowly.

“Why do you ask?” her tone was sharp.

He tilted his head slightly, confusion forming on his face and shifted on his feet.