Page 102 of A Dance With Fire
Her heartbeat was frantic in her chest. Her knees almost gave out when Valerio panted, “We make camp. And risk a fire.”
She turned to see the Seelie Prince holding Uric up, like he was the only thing standing between the silver-haired Fae face planting into the mud.
Julius walked over to help the prince, hauling Uric’s arm around his shoulder. Together, they dragged his limp body further up the riverbank. Shula followed, willing herself to go just a little further. When they finally found a place a way’s away from the Arcana, Shula finally let herself drop to the ground. Her whole body shuddered at the impact, but she didn’t care. The pain could comeafterthe exhaustion in her body waned. She’d deal with it then.
Just as she started to fall asleep in the soft grass, gentle hands pulled her up from her position and she grumbled, hands colliding against a solid, naked chest.
Her eyes flew open.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she slurred, glaring into Clay’s perfect green eyes.
“You need to get out of these wet clothes, Fire Dancer. We may be Fae with better immune systems, but you are weak and could still catch a cold…”
Right. Her depleted energy made her susceptible to human ailments. It was a reason a lot of the humans at the circus suspected her; she never got sick. But she’d been through a hell of a day and didn’t feel like arguing.
She dropped her hands at her sides. “Help me,” she demanded quietly. “Can’t move.” Or speak. She didn’t want to speak more than was necessary.
Clay groaned. “Fire Dancer, I don’t know if that’s the smartest idea…”
“Just do it. Please.”
She didn’t see his expression because her eyes fluttered closed, but a moment later, she felt his fingers tugging at her wet clothes. They slid off her body along with her boots, her pants, until she was in nothing but her undergarments.
Cool air kissed her skin and she felt herself lowered to the grass once again. “Everything’s wet, even the blankets,” Clay explained in her ear. “But I’ll get a fire going to warm you up.”
Despite her shivers, despite feeling like she had one foot in dreamland already, Shula felt herself smiling. Warmth spread through her chest. “Thank you, Clay,” she whispered.
It was the first time she’d ever said those words to him. Surprisingly, she meant them. She’d been a bitch to him when he’d been the only one really in her corner since the moment she woke up in their safe house.
“You’re a good friend, Clay,” she murmured, burrowing into the grass. As if she could pull warmth from the earth somehow. “One of the best…”
She wasn’t sure, but she felt a hand on her arm and lips press to her forehead. She didn’t open her eyes to see, because she was already falling to sleep.
* * *
Her mind came to slowly,groggily. Her eyes blinked opened and she turned to her back, finding herself staring up at the night sky. She’d been asleep for hours, though by the aches in her body it felt like it’d only been minutes.
Pushing herself up by the elbows, she cast a glance around. She was all but naked before a steady fire, surrounded by equally naked Fae men who rested uneasily against the grass.
Sitting awake and across from the fire was Clay, tossing twigs into the flames. He didn’t look at Shula as she sat up straighter and stretched her arms over her head. “Your clothes are probably dry by now.” He pointed to where they hung on a low branch of a tree.
But Shula didn’t look at her clothes. Her gaze immediately snapped to where Ryker stood next to them. He faced the forest beyond, the darkness that resided there. Standing watch.
“He hasn’t slept at all,” Clay supplied.
She looked back to him and noted the shadows dancing beneath his eyes that had nothing to do with the flickering of the bonfire. “It looks like you haven’t either.”
His lips twitched. “Can’t leave the big guy alone, can I?” While his words were humorous, his tone was strained. It was how Shula knew he was forcing himself, pushing too hard.
She stood. “Sleep. I’ll keep watch.” She started to turn away.
“He won’t let you.”
Shula threw a smile over her shoulder. “He doesn’tletme do anything.” She walked away, leaving behind Clay’s soft, snorting laughter.
She should have felt self-conscious as she approached Ryker barefoot and in her undergarments. She didn’t. Instead, she felt a surge of determination.
His whole body was stiff as she approached, and she had no doubt he’d heard her quiet footfalls on the earth’s floor. She went for her clothes first, slipping the pants over her legs. They’d dried stiffly against the branch and scraped her skin as she slid them on. She turned away from him to reach for her tunic. She could feel his gaze burning on her backside, staring at the scars even when she covered herself with her tunic. Her jacket was still damp, so she left it where it was and finally turned to face him.
