I grab the beer and stand with a stretch. “You have no idea. Is this her dinner?” I ask and go to the counter to look down at the tray Clover’s set out. There’s a bowl of stew and a serving of bread. I frown. There’s not enough meat in this stew.
“Yeah, that’s for-um, what are you doing?”
“Adding meat.” I open up the stew pot and fish out the biggest chunks of venison I can find along with potatoes. The bowl is nearly overflowing when I’m done with it. I move on to the bread and cut an extra thick slice of bread and slather on a healthy serving of butter. I’m so intent on the food that I don’t even register Clover’s question.
“What the heck are you doing?”
“You didn’t put enough food on here for her, Clo.”
“I gave her as much as I gave you.”
“Not enough.”
Clover falls silent and just watches me fuss over the tray of food before she shrugs and adds a beer to the tray I’ve been prepping for Cordelia. “She probably can use one of these too.”
“Is that for me?” A soft voice sounds from the door.
Cordelia.
She’s not mud-caked or soaked, not the way I remember her looking when she stood in the storm proud, strong, fucking sexy as hell. Now she looks…younger. Innocent. Fresh faced and rosy-cheeked after a good hot scrub. Her hair is damp and in a braid. She’s standing in loose fitting grey sweatpants and a cozy cream and red-striped sweater that matches the striped socks she’s wearing.
My wolf howls with delight. He wants to run right up to Cordelia and push his head into her side. Curl up at her feet while she sleeps and keep her warm.
“Cordelia, hi! Did you have a good soak?”
She nods shyly at Clover. “I did and that cupboard was amazing. It had everything I needed, just like you said. It’s more magic, isn’t it?”
“I spelled it myself,” Clover tells her proudly.
Cordelia gives my cousin a wide-eyed look. “You’re so powerful.”
Clover blushes hard and waves her off. “I-well, it’s only a small thing really but it did take me a week. I can show you how it works if you want.”
“Really?”
Clover jerks a thumb at where I’m standing beside the tray with the butter dish and knife still in my hands. “Sure but your dinner-”
Cordelia ducks her head. “Here, I’ll bring it with us.” She looks up at me. “I, ah, I can take that if it’s okay.”
If it’s okay.
My jaw clenches because where is the spitfire that attacked the hunter? The one that outran me on the trail today? She’s gone. Has been since she started trying to bargain her way into the pack.
There’s something delicate about Cordelia right now. Breakable. Like a fresh cut flower that makes her seem fragile. But when she looks at me again, there’s a hint of the woman I had in my arms in the meadow. I want that woman here with me now.
I toss the butter and the knife onto the counter with a clatter that has Clover gasping. I ignore my cousin and keep my eyes on Cordelia’s. “You’re more than welcome to come take it.” I cross my arms and hitch a hip against the counter while I wait to see if she takes the bait.
For a second none of us moves. I don’t even think Cordelia breathes but then she does. Her breath comes out in a long whoosh before she looks up at me and lifts her chin.
“Thank you, Enforcer.” Her voice is still soft but there’s steel there. Good. So the woman I almost had is still there. She comes close, one step and then another. I don’t move a muscle as she approaches. She’s right beside me, body so close I can feel her warmth, feel the whisper of the wool of her sweater sleeve when she reaches to take her tray from the counter. I inhale to see if Ican pick up on her scent but there’s nothing there again. Just the sweet-smelling soaps that she used to clean up.
Chamomile and rose, something sugary but nothing that’s her. Not that I can tell anyway. I frown. Where is her scent?
“Thank you,” Cordelia says to me. She peeks up at me through her lashes. Fuck, she’s beautiful. There’s only a few inches between us, maybe less. If I wanted to I could lean down and close the space, claim her sweet mouth again. I like the idea so much that I start to lean into her while Cordelia turns and does her best to angle away from me. A valiant effort to not touch me even though she’s this close.
I stop her when I put one hand down on the counter. I lean down and look her in the eyes. “Clover made it.”
Cordelia bobs her head, taking that as her cue to hurry towards Clover. “Thank you so much. Everything looks wonderful. I haven’t eaten a ton today.”
