“And are you always that short with your fellow warriors?” I asked to keep the focus off me and off the fact that those creatures had been sent for me tonight.
He worked his jaw, his aura growing stronger. “Not usually.” He studied me more intently, and the energy surrounding him grew even more.
“I should wash.” I lifted my hands. Even though blood no longer stained them, it still felt like it did. “A bath may feel nice.”
For a heartbeat, Kole stared at my fingers. “It was brave, what you did to help your sister.”
I shrugged, but I couldn’t stop a memory of one of the creature’s fangs. It pierced the front of my mind, and a shudder ran through me.
“Shh, it’s all right.” Kole clasped my biceps and ran his hands up and down my arms gently. “They didn’t touch you, and they didn’t take you. You’re still safe.”
I began trembling in earnest. “Maybe, but what if they’d gotten closer to Lillith or me? My sister could have been bitten. She wouldn’t have been able to defend herself. And then what?She would have turned into one of thosethings, and I couldn’t have saved her. The Wishing Stone is long gone.”
“But she wasn’t bitten. She’s safe too.”
“But shecouldhave been. And I would have been helpless to save her.” I shook myself, trying to rid myself of the terror coursing through me.Think, Primelle. Think! What can you do? What can you do to stop this from ever happening again?
Kole continued rubbing my arms, and I took a deep breath. Finally, my thoughts began to realign, and I peered up at him. “I need to figure out who’s behind this, Kole. If I’m to be locked up in here, then I can use the time to study and research what we know of those creatures. Maybe that will give us a clue and lead us somewhere, because I’m quite good at research. Perhaps I should utilize that skill. And I need to learn to mistphase. If I’d been able to, I could have gotten Lillith out of the maze right away. We wouldn’t have been so helpless.”
His movements on my arms stilled. “All right. We can do all of that.”
I nodded hastily and tried to take some comfort in that.
Kole rubbed my arms soothingly again. “We’ll work on figuring this out together, okay? I’ll keep you safe, you do your research, and I’ll keep trying to teach you to mistphase.”
His reassurances had some of my anxiety calming, and I nodded again, but a part of me still wondered if I would ever be able to learn to mistphase. Kole had attempted to teach me several times, with hours of effort put into it. But despite my magic being unique and incredibly powerful, I still couldn’t get past the first step of untangling my magic from itself.
But then I forced a rush of optimism through me and lifted my chin. “Sooner or later, I’ll figure it out.” Yet despite my efforts to see the bright side, my chin still wobbled.
Storm clouds rolled in his eyes, and he pulled me to him, enclosing me in his arms. “Shh, it’s all right.”
I clung to him, and perhaps it was because Itrulyneeded him, needed him to hold me and reassure me, that his Council magic never flared. Whatever the case, I was thankful that his magic allowed it.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed into his frame, and his grip tightened.
“I owe you an apology,” he whispered into my hair. “I’m sorry that I didn’t protect you better tonight. It’s my job to keep you safe, Primelle, and I didn’t. I’m sorry I put you through that.”
I scoffed and ran my hands up his broad back. “It’s kind of hard to protect me when someone forces us to split up.”
He growled quietly. “Don’t even get me started on Lordling Ryderdim. I wanted to murder that prick all night.”
Despite my fear, a laugh escaped me. “I know his behavior in the maze was annoying, but he seems genuinely sorry. I’ve already forgiven him, and perhaps you should too.”
“Forgive him?” He pulled back and cupped my cheeks. Warring emotions scattered over his face. “He’s not only attracted to you, Prim, but hetook youfrom me.” A glow burst in his eyes. “I won’t be forgiving him,” he growled.
My cheeks warmed, but I was thankful for the change of subjects. It kept me from thinking about my sister’s injury. From the fact that those creatures had been after me. “You don’t know that he’s attracted to me. He could just be a very friendly fairy.”
Kole shook his head, and his aura roiled. “No, he wants you. I could scent his arousal all night.”
For the first time, I felt a spark of my playful self return, and I poked his chest. “Well, then I suppose it’s too bad that I’m so smitten with my Imperial Warrior.”
Another low growl filled his chest. “Good, because you’remine, Primelle. And I don’t share.”
My stomach flipped, and my core clenched, but at least the turn of subject had alleviated my anxiety. “I better take thatbath now before we start doing something that may garner the attention of your fellow warriors.” I inclined my head toward the doors.
Kole’s nostrils flared, and I could only imagine the scent I was releasing.
“I’ll draw the bath for you.”
