Page 61 of Peregrine's Call
“I thought you didn’t have to use that during the escape,” she said, wondering if he’d blooded it and then told her otherwise to spare her feelings.
But Tav said, “No, but I still drew it several times, so I want to be sure there’s no moisture to corrode it.”
She nodded, knowing how meticulous he was about his equipment. All the knights were.
Tav put the sword aside and stood up, facing her. “How are you?”
Robin rolled her shoulders. “I’m well. Why?”
“Because we’re here, in Rainald’s old camp. One of the few places you called home, and now it’s empty and decaying.”
His insight made her pause as she considered both his words and the fact that he was astute enough to guess her feelings. “It’s a little sad,” she confessed. “But only a little. Rainald is back in his true home now, with the power and authority he always should have had.”
“That’s well for Rainald. But what about you?” He stepped close and reached out to cup Robin’s face in his hands. “You’ve been peering into every corner of this old camp.”
Robin had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. “Just…remembering.”
“Good or bad?”
“Mostly good. You needn’t worry about me. And anyway, we won’t be here long. We need to keep moving.”
“You’re certain you’re all right?” he asked, his eyes still on her face.
Without consciously deciding she would do it, Robin stood on her tiptoes and opened her mouth for a kiss.
He responded with a fierceness that lit a fire in her, starting in her belly and spreading outward to her limbs. She wrapped her arms around him, needing the kiss more than she’d ever anticipated. She wanted to have his hands on her again, feel his mouth all over her, and she wanted to taste him in all the same ways. She clung to him, her breathing rough as he sucked on her lower lip until she was whimpering against his mouth.
Finally, he broke it off. “Enough, lovely,” he told her, even though his expression suggested he hadn’t got nearly enough of what she was offering to him.
“You don’t want more?” Robin asked.Shewanted more. She wanted days and days of this strangely wonderful torture, the anticipation and then the fulfillment. Possibly months. Or years. A lifetime would be best.
“What I want and what’s going to happen are two different things,” he said. His fingers grazed her neck, and the shivery pleasure shot straight into her core. “Though the idea is extremely tempting.” He leaned toward her and kissed her again, this time with a tenderness that left her breathless. “It’s not the time or the place to indulge in something like this.”
“It’s never going to be the right time or place for us, is it?” she asked, her chest aching.
“I don’t know, Robin.” He shook his head and stepped away. “We’re still far away from where we need to be. And we’re not safe in any sense of the word.”
For a moment, shehadcompletely forgotten they were likely being pursued by people who wanted them dead. She was much happier before she remembered it.
“How long do you think we can stay here?” he asked, sounding much more collected.
She thought about it. “A few nights. The camp was designed to be difficult to reach unless you know where it is. But we can’t just hole up here. The information Pierce carries grows less useful with every passing day.”
“The main road will be far too risky. We’ve got Estmar’s men chasing us from one angle, and now perhaps a force from Ranulf himself coming soon.”
She nodded. “Not to mention the usual dangers in the Ardenwood—outlaws and the Welsh.”
“And the weather itself is turning against us,” Tav said. “Every day shorter and every night colder.”
“I’ll get us through the forest,” Robin said. “And I don’t need the main road to do it.”
“You’ve already proven that.” He gave her a smile. “I just hope—”
Then he broke off, looking at something to his right, in the clearing of the camp.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Not sure.” His eyes narrowed. Then he exhaled. “Never mind. It’s only the cat.”
