Page 50 of Power of Five
31
Leralynn
The sun is setting behind distant trees when I finally see Shade. The male, in his wolf form, is returning from a hunt to drop off a pair of fat rabbits beside the fire River built. Shade’s yellow eyes flash at me in the firelight as he turns away, lifts his tail into the air, and trots back to the forest.
I follow him toward the edge of camp, glad to finally be in my clothing—Autumn’s finely tailored leather-fortified riding pants and a red tunic that tucks in at my waist, beneath a furry overcoat. Despite the warm coat I have on, straying far from the fire is difficult, the Gloom’s chill still racing through me with each small blade of wind. “We’ve five rabbits and a deer already, Shade,” I call to the wolf’s retreating form. “I think that can hold us over for an hour or two.”
The wolf hesitates, his body bending as he turns to look at me over his shoulder. Our gazes meet. One of Shade’s ears twitches and then he turns away from me again, disappearing into the trees.
I sigh and return to the fire. Tye is already roasting a sizzling piece of meat, the smell making me moan a bit with hunger. Sitting beside him, I content myself with pining after dinner and am just starting on my second rabbit leg when Shade appears again.
“Hello,” I tell the wolf.
Shade adds a squirrel to our growing stockpile and turns away.
“The meat is going to go bad,” I yell after him.
Tye snorts. “The meat will be gone by morning, Lilac Girl. Using magic will leave you starving.”
“I don’t know if what I did counts as using magic. I just conducted it through me.”
“You really want to debate magic theory now?” says Tye.
“No.” I sigh. Despite a still-growling stomach, my appetite disappeared with Shade. Wrapping my coat tightly around my shoulders, I walk to the edge of camp and find a spot to sit. Not so far as to be out of the males’ sight, but far enough away to allow Shade to yell at me in private—whenever he finally gets around to it. There is little point in putting off the confrontation, since I know I won’t be getting much sleep without his warm body pressed against mine.
I see the yellow eyes watching me a good quarter hour before the male himself appears, walking in his fae form out of the high brush. My breath hitches at the beautiful planes of his face, revealed by dark hair pulled back at the temples. At the chest muscles shifting beneath his loose linen shirt. At the storm raging in his golden eyes, a twin to the one that crackled there when we faced off in my palace bedroom. A simmering, rigid Shade.
Stalking silently to where I sit, Shade settles on the ground beside me, his face raised to the fat moon hanging overhead.
“You aren’t going to bay at the moon, are you?” I ask finally. A week ago, I didn’t know the damn male existed, and now all I can think about is easing the tension between us.
“No,” says Shade. “I don’t feel the pull today.”
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “For the sake of efficiency, let’s just acknowledge that I did the one thing you demanded I never do—connect myself with the full quint. Let us also acknowledge that I am not the least bit sorry and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Now, with this out of the way, please feel free to yell or growl or do whatever you planned to as much as you wish.”
Shade is silent for a moment, still watching the sky. “Efficiency,” he repeats, tasting the word.
“Efficiency,” I confirm with a nod.
He leans back on outstretched arms. “I’m immortal,” he says flatly. “I’m not attracted to efficiency.”
Silence settles between us again, which only makes waiting for the eventual storm that much harder. My limbs shift, the tension in my muscles making it impossible to stay still in the way Shade seems to have perfected. I bite my lip and a tick rattles a muscle in Shade’s jaw, betraying how aware he is of each of my movements.
Aware and unyielding. The space between us is no more than two feet, yet it might as well be a piranha-filled crater for how likely Shade’s hand is to breach it. I feel that lack of touch more keenly than I’ve ever felt a blow.
“Did you give Coal this hard a time as well?” I ask. “Because what he did, taking all those arrows, it wasn’t much different. So I’m thinking it is only fair that he and I receive the same treatment.”
Shade squints at the stars dressing the velvet sky. “Coal and I spoke, yes. I was extracting arrowheads from him at the time, however. It’s fascinating just how tightly you can hold someone’s attention when you’re about to dig a piece of barbed steel from the sensitive spot just under the shoulder blade here.” He presses a finger into my back, hard enough to tease a slight flare of pain. A mere tiny fraction of what Coal felt.
I shudder. “Yes.” I swallow, licking moisture back into my lips. “I imagine one’s attention would be quite undivided in those circumstances. Even Coal’s. Fortunately, no such measures will be necessary with me. Please scold away at your convenience.”
Shade pushes off his arms, sitting up straight. And just like that, the calm veneer shatters to pieces. “You don’t get to kill yourself,” he snaps, the vibration of his voice more potent than I expected. “Whatever the problem, suicide is not the acceptable solution. No discussion. It isn’t. If you were a wolf, I’d be grabbing you by the scruff of your neck right now and shaking you until your teeth rattle.”
Despite expecting it, the sheer force of Shade’s onslaught singes my nerves, the fear and fury in his voice burning my core.
“I’m sorry—”
“Sorry won’t help if I lose you.”
