Page 87 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“It is always war with men like my father,” Thyra slurred. I noticed the bottle she held wasn’t full of wine but something clear.

The four of us got lost in a long conversation about the events to come. The Cascade had strong defenses, but Rainier still worried about a full-scale assault, even with our advance notice from Cyran. The three of us finished our bottle of wine quickly while Thyra nursed her own bottle of what I assumed was something much stronger. Dewalt went to fetch another bottle of wine, and Thyra peered at Rainier with surprisingly steady eyes.

“Nythyr will not ally with us.” Her eyes flickered over to me for a second, and I understood her meaning. If he called things off with Keeva, there would be consequences. I threw my head back and finished the remains of the bottle in my hand. This was why I’d said all the things I said before.

“Queen Nereza made her decision when she opened the pass to Olag. Nythyr has always remained neutral; I would not have expected that to change either way.” His eyes flashed a warning to her, and I was grateful when Dewalt came back in, passing the new bottle to me first. I drank for too long and coughed a bit after, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. Rainier turned to me and grinned.

“Do you remember when D shot wine out of his nose?” Dewalt groaned, and I started laughing so hard I started coughing again. Rainier reached behind me, lightly rubbing my back to get me through it. I burned from his touch.

“Do you remember when you ripped your pants and exposed your ass cheeks at Ravemont?” Dewalt retorted, and Rainier’s laugh boomed enough to interrupt Lavenia and Mairin’s conversation, the former grinning with the memory while Mairin wore a dreamy expression.

“You should have seen Lady Highclere’s face when he came inside. She was mortified. How about when Emma fell into the creek?” She offered.

“Hey! Lucia pushed me—how does that count?” We were all laughing by then, enjoying reminiscing. I learned some interesting stories from Thyra about Dewalt and Rainier’s escapades before Dewalt bonded with Lavenia. Apparently, the two of them had no qualms about sharing rooms while they participated in activities with women. I groaned, feeling an ugly, stunted emotion in the pit of my stomach.

“We grew out of it,” Dewalt offered, and Rainier averted his eyes. The fact he felt embarrassed kept the monster within me at bay.

Mairin and I told stories about different patients we’d treated, including a more harrowing tale about a child stuck underneath a wagon. Everyone listened with rapt attention, waiting with bated breath until we revealed we had saved the little boy. Thyra whooped in elation while the others sighed in relief. It felt like it had been hours of talking when Thyra finally rose, unsteady on her feet.

“Goodnight, my friends. Sleep well.” When she got up to leave, it drew my attention to Lavenia and Mairin behind her. They were wrapped up in each other, legs tangled and seeming content. I glanced at Dewalt, unsure if he’d be jealous or what kind of limits he and Lavenia set with each other, but it seemed whatever boundary Lavenia and Mairin may have had was weakening. He watched from across the tent as the two of them exchanged a small kiss, and I saw him adjust the way he sat. I blushed when I realized why and looked away, trying not to see something I didn’t want to. Instead, I found the striking face of the man beside me. I studied Rainier as he glanced past me, realizing what I had just figured out. His hand moved, and I realized with a start it had been resting on my thigh. I hadn’t noticed, or, more likely, it felt so natural I hadn’t cared. He leaned in—sparkling, green gaze catching mine—and I thought, for a moment, he was going to kiss me. Here, in front of everyone. I didn’t know if I would have stopped him, either.

“I think it’s our cue to leave.” His breath was hot on my ear, his tone a dark promise. I swallowed, nodding. Judging by how intensely Dewalt and Lavenia were making eye contact while she kissed Mairin, I felt like it was long past time for us to leave. The three of us stood as one, and Rainier pulled me to the entrance of the tent. I heard Dewalt behind me make a beeline straight to Lavenia. I couldn’t help but grin.

The temperature in the tent had been much higher than that of the surrounding cave, and I’d left my cloak on my pallet, so I was shivering when we stepped out. Rainier turned to me with a sideways smile, and I started laughing nervously. I hadn’t exactly been around anyone who acted on desire so brazenly, and part of me felt scandalized. Rainier chuckled before he noticed my shiver and took his cloak off, wrapping it around me.

“They’re probably going to be a while.” His grin was boyish as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms over the cloak, warming me up. “Fire or tent?” He nodded in turn toward each option. I could tell by the look in his eyes, the dark fire blazing underneath the green, which place he wanted me to choose. So, I did.

“Tent.”

Chapter 29

Whenwewalkedin,Rainier moved straight to his pallet and sat down, pulling his boots off. I noticed someone had laid a rug on the ground, and it was more cozy than the last time I slept in his tent. I paused, lingering in the entryway before walking over to the chair sitting at the small table in the back. “Why do you have this in here?” My finger traced over the table as I lowered myself down into the seat.

“Sometimes I have to write correspondence, and someone along the way thought it would be a good idea.”

“Isn’t it terribly bulky to worry about bringing on a horse?”

“Normally, we have the wagon, but since it got left behind with Nana, we made it work. It folds though, watch.” He walked over and lifted the top of the table up, showing me how the legs folded together and the top folded down. When he put it back together, he took a step back, and I looked him over. He still wore the burgundy shirt from before, buttons still unfastened at the top. His black pants seemed a bit different than the ones he’d been wearing during our trip. These were smoother almost, the fabric not as rough as most breeches. I wondered if those were part of the capital fashions he spoke about. My gaze drifted down to his bare feet.

“Your feet are still huge.” I peered back up to his face as his eyes lit up, and I watched his beautiful, full mouth spread in a smile.

“Feet don’t tend to shrink, do they?” He knelt in front of me, pulling one of mine toward him and unlacing my boots. The light danced across his features, and I memorized his face. Gods, I’d missed him. The fire popped in the brazier, and my eyes were drawn to it before moving back to him.

My twin flame. I didn’t know if I believed it. The soul I had found in past lives, in this one, and would find again in the next. I almost couldn’t catch my breath thinking about it. Aonara and Ciarden were the first twin flames, lightness and darkness. Two halves of one whole. There were so few recorded instances of twin flames they’d become more legend than anything. The thought that Rainier and I were predestined by the gods was overwhelming, partially why I hadn’t believed Mairin. But I was beginning to, the more I thought about it. We had found each other again, and I didn’t plan to let him go. It seemed as if the Nythyrian alliance had already broken, and I wondered if, perhaps without it, I wouldn’t be too much of a threat to his ascension. With no possibility of an alliance, did he have to bond and marry for Vesta? Or could he do it for himself? Make his own choices? I pushed the thought aside when I remembered my divinity. I might not be a threat, but I’d never be suitable. I wasn’t sure when I planned to tell him what Mairin had told me. Part of me wasn’t sure if I should tell him at all.

He pulled my boot off and eyed at my foot.

“No, they certainly don’t shrink. Before you know it, we’ll be sharing shoes.” I kicked at him with my socked foot, and he chuckled, holding it tighter as he began to rub it. I let out a small groan, and he pushed on the same spot again harder, eyes darkening as he looked up at me. It felt delightful. He sat back, getting comfortable with his legs crossed, and pulled off my other boot.

“Do they do that often?” Another groan crossed my lips as he slid a thumb down the arch of my foot, working on spots I didn’t even know were sore. He slid his hand up the back of my leg, working my tight muscles into putty.

“Who? Lavenia and Dewalt?” I nodded. “Do they have sex often? Or include—” I cut him off, feeling the flush going up my neck, matching the redness in my face from the wine.

“They were just so open about it.” We knew what they were doing and had to leave to give them privacy. It was strange to me, foreign. I couldn’t imagine anyone being so open about that.

“It’s part of being bonded. It craves the connection—the mind, body, and soul. Dewalt and Lavenia are extremely in tune with their mind and soul. They’ve somehow become more annoying since they bonded. Sometimes they even finish each other’s sentences.” He smiled but didn’t look up, full attention on my feet. I hoped they didn’t smell too badly. “So, they don’t feel the need of the body as often, but from what I understand, when they do, it’s hard to resist.”

“They’ve always been annoying together.” We laughed because it was true. Dewalt was Rainier’s best friend, but he spent almost as much time with Lavenia and Lucia all those years ago. I’d always been separate, and I wondered if it was part of why I didn’t fight to stay in their lives. Rainier slid his hands down and pulled at my socks, his fingertips warm on my cold skin, and I relished his touch.

---