Everyone had gathered around a sizeable fire to watch and smell the venison cook.I put my things in the tent and went to find somewhere to sit.Torgrin and Atlas made room for me between them.
The venison was delicious.Torgrin and Atlas took turns loading up my plate, and they even brought me some ale, which I gulped down gratefully.The alcohol numbed me a bit, and I found I could relax and enjoy the last evening I would have with them.
‘What were you and my father talking about?’Torgrin stretched out his long legs and leaned back on his elbows to gaze vacantly into the fire.Nothing escaped Torgrin’s notice.
‘Ephemeros,’ I told him.‘He’s leaving tomorrow,’ I added.
‘Good.’
‘Would you want to see your home again?’I asked.
‘Pedion is my home.Nothing will ever make me go back to Ephemeros.’He continued to stare at the flames.
Atlas shifted uncomfortably next to me.He shook his head at me.I grabbed Atlas’s big hand and held it to my face.‘I’m sorry,’ I mouthed to him.He looked at Torgrin and then back at me sadly.He would never leave Torgrin’s side, and I wouldn’t let him anyway.
The ale had made me sleepy even though the night was still young, but I didn’t want to leave the warm fire and the surrounding people just yet.
As if sensing my mood, Torgrin silently moved behind me, and I repositioned myself to rest comfortably between his legs.I leaned against him sleepily, feeling his warm torso against my back.He continued to murmur to Atlas, and I was content to listen to their deep, soothing voices.
They were making plans to go back to Murus.They wanted to repair the fortress and build another army.How would they pay for repairs or soldiers’ wages?They discussed King Hared and how they could negotiate a truce for the sake of Ania and Wolfe.
They were both in line for the throne and would always pose a threat to him.However, would that be the case if my birth mother was revealed?I had a stronger claim to the throne than my cousins, but I did not want to disclose that now.Or ever.
I understood they wanted peace, but at what cost?The king would need a solid reason not to finish the job he had started.He had attacked Murus to rid himself of the Warwick family.Whatbargain could Torgrin and Atlas make to keep Lord Warwick’s children safe?My thoughts came to a halt.
I was leaving tomorrow.I had no claim over what the future would hold for Ania and Wolfe.They were my cousins – our mothers were sisters – and yet I was leaving them, breaking my oath to Lord Warwick.Atlas and Torgrin were staying to protect them.I had no right to judge their decisions.
Their familiar low tones soon soothed me to sleep, and I didn’t wake until I felt myself being lowered to my bedroll.Torgrin had somehow carried me to our tent without waking me.He moved around in the dark and then came to lie beside me.I rolled over to face him, and he raised his hand to brush the hair from my face.I needed to be up before dawn to get ready to leave, although I had little to take.
‘You fell asleep.’His thumb trailed down my face and gently traced around the outline of my lips.My heart fluttered at the innocent caress.
I raised my hand to his bare shoulder – his skin was warm.I wanted to remember him like this: relaxed and sleepy.
‘Kiss me?’I whispered.
He looked into my eyes uncertainly.‘Are you sure?’His low voice rumbled over me softly.
I grieved for Cillian, for a mother I never knew, and now I was leaving Torgrin and the friendships I’d made.I wanted to feel something other than fear and sorrow.Mostly, I wanted to show Torgrin how much I cared for him.Maybe he would remember tonight long after I’d left him.
‘Yes,’ I said breathlessly.
I held his heated gaze as he moved his hand to the back of my head and gathered my hair in his fist.
Torgrin leaned over me, and I watched his face grow tense and serious before his mouth found mine.
His lips brushed across mine so softly.I had never thought Torgrin could be this gentle, and my heart rate sped up with the anticipation.The pressure of his lips increased as he kissed my top lip, then my bottom.With sensual slowness, he ran the tip of his tongue along the part of my lips.I sighed with pleasure, and he sucked at my lower lip like my mouth was a ripe peach.Running my hands across his back, I could feel the way his muscles bunched under his smooth skin.
I cried out in surprise when his teeth pierced my bottom lip.He hushed me and soothed my lip with his tongue.
‘Why did you do that?’
He smiled down at me, showing me those rare dimples.‘Got a little carried away?’
I was strangely pleased, and I laughed.
‘You have a beautiful laugh.’His smile disappeared, and his gaze intensified, making me feel hot and breathless again.‘Give me your mouth, woman,’ he ordered, and then his tongue found mine, and everything inside me lit up.I did not want slow and soft from him now.
My hands frantically grasped at his hair; the thick, soft strands fell between my impatient fingers.Desperate for more contact, I pulled him over to fully cover me, pressing my hungry body against his.I wrapped my legs around his narrow hips, dragging a low growl from him as he settled his weight between my welcoming thighs.
