Page 24 of Elven Oath

My breath catches in my throat at his words, and I can feel the heat in my face spreading down my neck.

He can’t be serious. But when I look at him, the way his golden eyes gleam with amusement and something else—something far more dangerous— it makes my heart race even faster in my chest.

He wasn’t entirely joking.

“I’d prefer it if you kept your hands to yourself,” I shoot back, finally finding my voice again, though it sounds far less confident than I intended. I shift back as far as I can on the horse, trying to create some distance between us.

Aodhan chuckles. His deep, rumbling laugh vibrates through his back and into me. “As you wish, Princess. But don’t blame me if you fall off.”

My jaw clenches, and I bite back a retort, realizing that anything I say will likely only give him more reason to toy with me.

So I hold my tongue, determined to endure the rest of this ride in silence, no matter how uncomfortable it becomes.

But the problem is, now that I was so acutely aware of him, every little movement seems magnified. His broad shoulders shift slightly as he guides the horse down the road.

And the worst part of all is that I can’t stop noticing it.

I curse silently to myself, gripping the saddle tighter as the ride stretches on. I’m not sure what irritates me more.

The fact that Aodhan seems completely unaffected by our closeness, or the fact that part of me can’t help but wonder what it would be like if he wasn’t.

The forest loomed ahead of us, dark and quiet, and I try to focus on that instead. Trying to push thoughts of Aodhan’s teasing out of my mind.

This was just a journey, nothing more. And as soon as we reached wherever it was we were going, I’d have my own space, my own room, and my own horse.

I just had to make it through this ride.

Without letting him get under my skin.

Aodhan

Our second night camping is turning out to be far less comfortable than the last. The air is colder with a biting chill that has settled deep into my bones. It reminds me just how exposed we are out here.

We decided against lighting a fire. It was far too risky. After the attack last night, we shouldn’t draw attention to our location within the forest.

Not with those still lurking out there somewhere who weren’t happy about the peace our union was supposed to represent.

I glance across the small clearing to where Vevina has settled herself, stubbornly keeping her distance. She hasn’t said much to me since our little conversation during our ride.

Probably still smarting from her failed attempt to wrest control of the situation earlier. I’d noticed the frustration in her eyes, the embarrassment when I’d teased her, but she hadn’t tried anything else since then.

Now, though, she was making a point of staying as far away from me as possible. Wrapped up in her own cloak, her back turned toward the rest of us in some silent protest.

I smirk to myself, shaking my head slightly. She was a stubborn one. But as the night wears on, that resolve of hers won’t hold against the creeping cold.

I’d already noticed how she shivered from time to time, her body tensing beneath her cloak as she tries—and fails—to sleep.

It wasn’t surprising; the temperatures were dropping fast, and without the warmth of a fire, the cold could be unforgiving.

Falkor and Drago were on the opposite side of the camp, well within sight but far enough away to give us some semblance of privacy.

The forest around us was eerily silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind or the distant hoot of an owl.

I lay back, resting my head against the saddle I’d placed on the ground, keeping one eye on Vevina.

The pale moonlight filters through the trees, casting shadows across the ground, and in that faint light, I can see her shifting again.

She was trying to sleep, but it was clear she was uncomfortable, curled up tightly in an effort to conserve heat.

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