Page 31 of The Barbaric Fae's Soul

Tugging the leaves out, I tossed them to the ground. The wind would carry them off somewhere.

Though I could feel some in the back of my top too, when I reached back, I couldn’t quite reach any of the leaves. So, I gave up on trying to retrieve them, and instead lit myself on fire to burn them away.

It didn’t take too long to track Aev’s smell to the source. I stepped around a massive tree, and halted in place when I saw two men moving together, chests heaving and faces grinning as they spun and whirled. When one slashed, the other dodged. When one lunged, the other rolled.

It almost looked like… a dance.

No one was bleeding.

They both looked happy.

I expected it to trigger me, seeing the fight.

But strangely enough, it didn’t.

There was a pinch on some invisible nerve, but the panic didn’t come.

Aev’s head jerked toward me, and before our eyes had even collided, he’d thrown a smooth tuck-roll-thing and landed on his feet in front of me.

“You’re alright?” he checked, his gaze sweeping over my face.

“I’m fine. Do you have a minute?” My eyes flicked to Oren, who he had been fighting with.

“Of course.”

“Find someone else’s ass to freeze next time,” Oren told Aev. He studied me for a moment before he turned and walked away.

“Have you slept?” I asked the ex-king.

His lips curved upward. “Nah. It’s been a long time since I felt this alive; I don’t really want to sleep through it.”

I nodded, even though my first instinct was to protest, to tell him that he still needed to rest. Because how long had it been since he slept? The circles under his eyes had circles of their own.

“About earlier…” I bit my lip, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it.

“I hope you’re not about to apologize.” He slipped his hands into his shorts’ pockets.

“Iamabout to apologize. I should’ve warned you, at least. The triggers are random, and the panic is fierce. I’m a lot better at fighting them than I used to be, but when I get tired, the panic gets more uncontrollable. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know sooner. And…”

I sighed. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you the full truth about my past. I was trying to keep things light and happy, because of everything with Naomi. I like to pretend the shitty things never happened, because it’s easier to stay positive that way. But I should’ve warned you, so I’m sorry.”

“I understand. You were keeping me sane, you know. Giving me something to think about other than the pain, for the first time in a long time. And I appreciate that immensely.”

My lips curved upward a little bit at the honesty in his voice. “Then you’re welcome, I guess.” I paused, and then let myself blurt my thoughts. “You really do need to sleep.”

He chuckled. “I’ll sleep when I know we’re not at risk anymore. It’s been so long since I had this much access to my ice. Between the time, and the downgrade in magic after losing the mate bond, I may as well be starting over entirely. The council and Wild Hunt are relying on me to keep you alive if you can’t control the klynna, and I have to be ready.”

“You’ll be more ready if you’ve rested. How many days has it been since you slept?”

“A few.”

I stepped closer to him. Though my instincts were all over the place, I didn’t fight the urge to lift my hand to his face and slowly drag a finger over the thick circle beneath his eye. He went still with my touch; I don’t even think he dared to breathe. “We’re friends, right?” I asked him.

He gave me the smallest nod.

“Friends listen to each other when they say they need to rest.”

“Do they?” His voice was low, and gravelly.

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