Page 73 of The Barbaric Fae's Soul

And despite my own exhaustion, I thought about it while I rested in his arms, completely safe and more comfortable than I’d ever been in my life.

I couldn’t think of anything particular at first—he was just Aev to me.

So I focused on the nickname he’d given me.

Thorns.

Because my thorns made me strong.

What made Aev strong, though?

I considered what I knew about him. About his past as king. About how incredible he’d been at it—incredible enough to chase a bunch of horny, lonely unseelie bastards onto seelie land, knowing that he’d likely end up in a fight he wanted nothing to do with.

Incredible enough not to push Naomi for more than she was willing to give at any point during their connection.

Incredible enough to fight the awful pain of an unwanted mate bond for two decades, even when it cost him everything.

Incredible enough to wrap those huge arms around me and hold me tightly while he slept, even after all he had survived.

If we were both drelae, and my strength was in my thorns…

Then his was in his vines. The thick, strong connections that bound him to the trees, to the family he’d chosen, to Vevol herself.

And now, to me.

And as terrifying as that was, I hoped like hell that he would never let go.

It wasthe middle of the day when I finally woke up. Aev was still asleep, though no longer snoring. Rerrwyn had moved closer at some point, and was plopped down on the ground only a few feet to my left.

I was still draped over Aev’s body, with one of his gigantic hands gripping my ass lightly, and the other buried in my hair. The moment felt intimate, but in a way that I absolutely adored.

His breathing was still even, and I knew he could’ve slept through the rest of the day and probably the night too, without waking up. I should’ve made him sleep more while we were diverting the klynnas, but when there was no one else with the same ice power as him, it was a hard argument.

My eyes met Rerrwyn’s, and he blinked at me slowly.

Though I didn’t hear any more words from him, I felt his question.

Was I ready to go?

He was eager to get back home, but he did understand how long Aev and I had gone without the kind of sleep we really needed.

I nodded at him, carefully putting my hands on Aev’s chest. It took a lot of effort to peel myself off of him, and he made a grumbling noise when I accidentally moved against his erection a little, but he let me sit up.

His hand tightened on my ass, and my cheeks heated as my gaze jerked to Rerrwyn.

The klynna let out an amused huff, and I relaxed a bit.

Aev squeezed my ass, and a squeak escaped me. His lips curved upward, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

He peeked his eyes open, and slowly took in my face. His smile widened as he saw me, and the man looked so much calmer than he had in days. “Hey, Thorns.”

“Hey, Vines.” The nickname slipped out, and my cheeks flushed.

Curiosity lit his blue eyes brighter, and I bit my lip.

“I like it,” he said. “You’ll tell me what it means, eventually?”

“Yes, eventually.”

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