Page 85 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

“I was too busy trying not to die to miss you, Bast.”

“Trying not to die... sure, that’s what we’ll call it.” He gave a lascivious wink.

Ronan couldn’t help but grin, relieved Sebastian was unharmed despite all statements he’d made feigning indifference. The dandy really had grown on him. Like a rash.

Knowing his traveling party was now accounted for, he couldn’t care less about burning this entire fucking place to the ground. It was cursed. They should have just kept walking instead of being lured in by the presence of the abandoned buildings.

“Everybody back!”

Bronn curled an arm around his captain, using his body to shield her obviously injured one while they dodged the snaking vines. Jagger followed, hauling Bast up by the back of his shirt when he didn’t move away fast enough. Reyna was close on his heels, staying only long enough to give him a meaningful look.

Hurry.

Once everyone was safely clear, Ronan summoned a huge wave of Fire. He threw it outward, catching all the remaining vines in the spray. The shrieks were terrible as the thick stalks withered and died. Most dropped to the ground, where they turned to piles of ash, but the singed ends of others retreated up into the safety of the canopy.

“Good riddance,” Ronan muttered, keeping an eye on the blaze as he carefully backed away. When he determined he was a far enough distance, he spun on his heel and jogged over to the others. “Can we please get the fuck out of here?”

Then spying the nightdrake’s corpse in his periphery, he lobbed a ball of Fire at it for good measure.

“I hate this place.”

CHAPTER27

RONAN

The night’s revelries were in full swing. There was nothing quite like a reminder of your mortality to make you eager to celebrate still being alive. And since this was the third time in as many days they’d had to face that particular lesson, the need to blow off steam was high.

“Do you think anyone would miss us if we went for a walk?” Reyna asked, her eyes darting meaningfully down the beach.

After the attack from above, no one felt comfortable with anything less than full visibility, so they’d made their way to the shore to spend the night under nothing but open sky and stars. The detour would add another day or two to their journey north, but peace of mind was priceless.

Ronan looked over to the other side of the fire he’d made using driftwood and magic. Currently, Bast and Bronn were busy trying to one-up each other with their exploits while Caly laughed at them both and Jagger watched on with an unreadable expression, his protector curled up against his neck.

“As long as we don’t stray too far, we’re probably safe.”

“Good. Come on.” Reyna stood and held out a hand for him.

There was no stopping the smile that stretched across his face as he accepted her offering. It hadn’t even been a full day ago when she would have shoved him into the fire as soon as willingly hold his hand. The knowledge meant he’d never take such small displays of affection for granted.

As their skin slid against each other, he noted that while her palms were as callused as his, they still managed to be soft. It was an intimate detail he tucked away, fully intending to collect a dozen more before the night was through.

Lifting their joined hands to his lips, he brushed a kiss over the back of hers. “Lead the way, kitten. You already know I’ll follow.”

The second they rose, Sebastian shot to his feet. “Where do you two think you’re going?”

“For a walk.”

“Is that wise?”

“We’re not going far. We’ll be within sight the entire time.”

Hopefully Reyna was up for a little exhibitionism. He’d been desperate to get his hands on her again the second they’d left the oasis this morning.

Bast narrowed his eyes, not remotely reassured. “I don’t like it.”

“How ‘bout this? If we’re not back in an hour, you have my permission to come and get us.”

Reyna’s brows flew up in surprise, but she didn’t contradict him.

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