Page 71 of By the Horns
“And Hemmen and Arrod, neither of whom I trust all that much. Do you?”
I grunt.
“I know I just need to get over it.” Her voice is light, but there’s a hint of wistfulness in her tone. “Sparrow loves being an archivist. Lark and Mereden are talking about children. And I just…I want the best for them, but I guess I’m also selfish because I want them at my side, too.”
“I get it.”
“Do you?”
“Every Taurian does. We’d much rather be heading into the tunnels in a Five made of Taurians, but they always split us up. It’s just part of the job. I’ve learned to think of it as doing my duty to the less fortunate.”
She chuckles, and the sound goes straight to my cock. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“You make family where you can, and you make the best of a bad hand every time. That’s all you can do.”
Gwenna glances up at me, her dark eyes full of emotion. “Like you are with being demoted?”
“Aye, I suppose so. I hate it. I hate how the others crack jokes about an embarrassing situation. But it’s not forever. You must remind yourself of that. And it’s not so terrible. You get to meet people you might not regularly sleep next to.”
Her cheeks color, and I could swear I pick up a hint of arousal in the breeze. “Oh?”
“Never would have met Hemmen otherwise,” I agree, and her wicked snort of surprised laughter makes me smile.
“So Hemmen is my competition? Good to know.”
Is she flirting with me? I lean closer as we turn onto a more crowded street. “Sweet little bantam, you should know you have no competition. In this world or the next.”
“Keep saying things like that and you’re going to get your knot bitten again.”
Mucking hell. Here’s hoping.
The walk back to the nest is a long one, and by the time we make it back my cock is throbbing. Do I head to the alley behind the tavern to get the potion Naiah promised to leave for me? Or do I hope that the promise in Gwenna’s voice is more than just flirting? I’m torn. The last thing I want is for her to reach for me and my cock to be as limp as wet laundry.
I might regret it, but I opt to skip the potion.
When we return to the nest, we’re the first ones back. The dorm is echoing and empty, and Gwenna hesitates in the hallway, her hands fisting in her skirts.
I wait next to her, like a lovesick calf. After a moment, I clear my throat. “You look nice today, in a dress. Not that you don’t normally look nice. You always look good.”
Her lips quirk at my uncharacteristic mumbling. “Thank you. If you don’t mind me saying, I feel more like myself in a dress than in a fledgling uniform.” She puts a hand to the front of her dress and lets out a ragged breath. “I’m terribly nervous about this week.”
“Because we’ll be in the Everbelow?” I ask. She was nervous the last time we went in, stabbing at her hand to keep from showing her terror. “You aren’t going to hurt yourself again, are you?”
Her gaze seems distracted. “No, I won’t. But if I get…nervous, will you let me climb you and beg for a kiss? As a distraction?”
“No begging required. You just indicate you want me and I’ll distract you so good your toes will curl.”
Her breathing shudders. “That sounds very nice to me. I’m going to take you up on that, you know.”
“I hope you do.” By Old Garesh, I hope she takes me up on it as quickly as possible.
She chews on her lip, then glances up at me. “Maybe I just need practice.”
“Or the right weapon in your grip.”Now, let me tell you all about the weapon I want to put in your sweet grip.
“I’m rotten with all weapons,” Gwenna admits. “Master Jay wanted me to practice with you specifically on that, remember?”
I do recall a few sour comments that Jay has made about her prowess, aye. “No worse than Hemmen.”
