Caelan watched our wordless exchange with a bemused expression, but when he turned to face me again, his eyes held that familiar warmth that made my Flame spread in my chest like melted butter.
“Closing timedoesbrighten my day,” he agreed. He let the implication hang between us, and I heard the words as though he’d spoken them aloud.It’s not because I get to play barkeep.
Clearly, Sorcha heard the same thing.
“Well,” she said, with a rather unsubtle clap of her hands. “I’d best get the dishes done. Early start tomorrow.”
Sorcha gestured briskly for the crate, and I tried not to look too eager as I crossed the tavern to hand it off. When I met her at the end of the bar, she swept it up in her arms and moved swiftly towards the kitchen; I could feel Caelan behind me before the door had even swung shut after her. His hands were warm on my waist as he found the tie of my apron, loosening it and setting it down on the counter before he tugged me against him, his chest to my back.
“S’pose that means you’re done for the night,” he said in my ear, low and sultry. The words rumbled pleasantly against my back, and a shiver rolled down my spine as though chasing the sound of his voice. “Tired?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“Well, am I still in danger?”
I turned in his arms, a teasing smile already playing at my lips as I wove my arms over his shoulders. “Do you intend toguard my room tonight, Captain?”
He laughed, soft as a breath. “Oh, isthatwhat I’ve been doing?”
I meant to echo his laughter, but was surprised to find myself hesitating. My silence stretched too long, breaking the easy rhythm of this well-rehearsed dance that inevitably ended in my bed.
“Isn’t it?”
Caelan stiffened, and I knew in that moment we’d both caught the unexpected tension in those two short words.
His smile slipped, tugging my heart down with it. Up to that point, I wasn’t sure I’d even been aware of the little seed of doubt nestled beneath my Flame. It was insidious; tendrils creeping like weeds over my heart, somehow impervious to the burning heat of my magic. But now that my insecurity hung between us it seemed suddenly glaring. It outshined the warm glow of my Flame for just a moment, and the light I'd been casting drew in tight, leaving only cold, draughty air between us.
Understanding crossed Caelan’s features, so tender and knowing that for a split second I felt the impulse to draw back as my Flame had done. He read me as easily as ever. Caelan caught at my arm before I could move, and cupped my jaw, leaning in so his lips hovered over my own.
“Hunt or no hunt,” he said slowly, eyes on mine to make sure I was hearing every word. “Sleep or no sleep; I’ll lay beside you every night you'll allow it.”
Warmth spilled through me in a rush, my Flame making up for its brief absence with a golden glow so fierce that it burned up my breath and flushed my cheeks to the point of pain.
A meek littleAlrightwas all I could manage – but even that was muffled beneath Caelan’s earnest, bruising kiss. When he finally took me to bed, there was indeed no sleep.
???
At the dawn of the following week, Sorcha took a much neededtrip to the market for vegetables and came back grey-faced, frightened, and with a notable lack of potatoes. The McAlpine’s stall had been shut down, and the word among the other vendors was that Johnny McAlpine had not been seen in several days.
Caelan’s platoon had still not returned by the time Brennan herded his own men out the door. When the Captain finally arrived, it was with a sobbing, hysterical Ciara McAlpine in tow. She clung to his arm as though it was the only thing keeping her upright as he guided her through the door, and my endlessly unreasonable Flame gave an angry little hiss at the sight. I ignored it and hurried around the bar to meet them.
“Ciara?”
“M-m-my,” she gasped raggedly, clutching Caelan’s arm so tight her knuckles were bleached against the steel of his armour. “Myfather.”
I reached out to smooth a strawberry lock of hair back from her soaked cheek, and she turned immediately to stumble from the Captain’s grasp into my own. I staggered a little under the unexpected weight, but Caelan was quick to steady me.
“I know, love, I know,” I said, in between gentle shushing. “How long has he been missing?”
She shuddered, an outright wail wracking through her. My arms tightened reflexively around her back even as I searched for Caelan over her shoulder. I met his eye, a horrible, heavy dread pooling in my stomach when he shook his head, face grim.
“He’s been found,” said Caelan.
Ciara sobbed harder.
“Oh gods,” I whispered. “Oh Ciara, I’m so sorry.”
