Page 71 of The Stolen Kingdom

“Valda?” Maris called out to her as she squinted.

Valda moved uncomfortably on the ground, and answered, “I am here.”

Maris sat up on the furs and let out a soft sigh. Her eyes finally adjusted to the fire, and Valda could’ve sworn she saw a hint of playfulness cross over Maris’s features before she looked to the ground. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

Valda grunted in amusement. “I’ve spent many days in inhospitable places. Part of my training included hunting and cooking.”

“Right.” Maris hissed again as she touched her cheek. “Don’t tell me that bastard Arwin taught you how to cook, too.” Maris raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, venom spewing as she said the general’s name. “What a wonderful father figure.”

Valda lowered her gaze. Her upper lip twitched in disgust at the notion that everything she knew to survive was thanks to that man. “He did.” She grabbed some slabs of meat and her water skin and stood up. “Here. This is water from the lakes, and you should eat something before we continue.”

Valda held her breath as Maris’s burning blue eyes locked with hers amidst the flickering darkness. The playfulness was suddenly replaced by a wave of anger she could feel deep within her chest. Maris then dislodged their stares to look down at what she was offering with disgust.

“You knock me out, bring me to a cave in the middle of nowhere, offer me food and water and you expect bygones to be bygones?”

“Maris…” Valda growled in a scolding tone.

“I don’t want what you are offering. I don’t need your help or the help of your men to move the settlers.”

“Are you sure? Because the last thing I remember was you on the ground about to get murdered. If I hadn’t stopped him, I would be burying my mate somewhere on the outskirts of Umbriel.”

“Fuck you, Valda,” Maris snarled, standing up and walking to the mouth of the cave, accidentally knocking off Cerberus.

“You will not turn your back on me!” Valda followed her, placing the food and waterskin next to the fire.

“I will do whatever I see fit! I don’t know your intentions to keep me in this forsaken place, but I will find my way back to Titania!” Maris yelled as she left the cave.

The cold night air hit her at full force. She froze and looked around at the endless miles of sand around them. If Maris wanted to escape, she was going to have a horrible time deciding where to go.

“You don’t even know where the city is!”

“I will find a way!” Maris snapped.

“You will not find a way when you don’t even know where to look!” Valda grabbed her elbow just as she was about to climb onto her horse. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought Maris was about to steal it… Who was this woman and why was she so fucking attracted to this new fiery version of her mate?

As she pulled Maris away from the saddle, the air was pushed out of her lungs.

“Do not come any closer!” Maris shouted, threatening Valda with the trident.

Valda’s hand moved to her stomach, rubbing where Maris had struck her. Valda stood there, unmoving, as she eyed the trident and finally Maris. “Amazing what eight months of training can do.”

“I don’t want to listen to you, Valda.”

“But you will… I’ve had it with you always blocking me out,” Valda snarled.

Yet, Maris’s angered expression broke into one of disbelief. “Block you? You were blocking me too! I couldn’t feel you during the day and then at night…” Maris stuttered, a delicious shade of red coloring her face. Maris moved away as if wanting to hide from Valda’s analyzing gaze.

“I know. I looked for you. Every night. Every. Single. Night. And when I couldn’t get a hold of you was pure torture.”

“Our dreams were not the same, Valda.”

“When we were together, they were the same, Seashell…”

Maris frowned and returned her intense gaze to Valda. Her face slanted to the side as a doubtful eyebrow arched. “When we were together?”

Valda nodded. “Weweretogether.“ Her face softened, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Maris’s grip on her trident tightened, and as much as Valda expected Maris to let down her walls, she did anything but. The Sealian raised her trident again; her face an amalgamation of emotions reflected in a jumble in Valda’s chest. Maris wasn’t sure how she was feeling.

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