Page 201 of Of Masks and Fury

I slipped from the bed and went to the bathing area, returning with a cloth dampened with water.

I gently washed her.

She sighed, her eyes half-lidded as she watched me, a lazy smile curving her lips. “My fierce king tending to me now? Careful, or I’ll start expecting this royal treatment every night.”

I kissed her inner thigh, then got rid of the cloth and returned to bed, drawing the sheets over us both, tucking her against my side where she fit like she’d been made for it.

“Always for you,” I said, combing my fingers through her hair until her breathing deepened into true slumber.

Only then did I allow myself to follow, my arm banded around her waist.

War and the Skathes could wait as long as I held this woman in my arms.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

ISI

We woke early, bathed and dressed, and went downstairs, finding Thorne and Addie in the kitchen, the commander preparing breakfast. Addie supervised from where she sat in a stool near a counter while Thorne cooked eggs, potatoes, and browned thick slices of bread he coated with butter.

Kerralyn, Derren, and Lexie joined us not long after, and we carried the meal on platters into the dining room, sitting and filling our plates.

While Commander Thorne left to patrol the valley, we ate quickly, not saying much. We all knew what was coming next. We had to rush to Syllavar, solidify the plan to rescue the prisoners, and reach Caldrith before the Day of Mercy.

Commander Thorne returned as we were finishing.

“We’ve got a problem.” His gaze met mine. “I found tracks while I was out there. Fresh. A group circled the valley recently.”

The implication settled like a boulder in my belly, and it was all I could do to finish my bite and swallow. “They know we’re here.”

“Possibly.” His frown deepened. “Or they’re searching. Either way, we’re not as safe here any longer.”

“The wards?—”

“Don’t appear to be holding any longer.”

Horror filled me. “I broke them.”

Addie shook her head. “I don’t sense it’s that. I think…” A frown filled her face. “I think they’ve found a way around them.”

Trew was already rising from his chair, his half-eaten breakfast forgotten. “Show me.”

I followed him and Thorne outside, finding the morning air crisp and clean, which felt odd knowing the stink of the wasteland surrounded this isolated valley.

Trew climbed onto Lakast’s back and the dragon burst into flight. The others went back inside, but I waited for Trew to return. It didn’t take long. He landed the dragon and slid off his back, striding over to meet me where I stood at the top of my steps.

The worry on his face made my breath still in my lungs. He reached up and stroked my cheek before sliding a strand of my hair behind my ear.

“What did you find?” I asked.

He nudged his chin toward the door. “Inside, and I’ll share.”

Back in the dining room, we joined the others at the table. Pherin fluttered to my shoulder, her tiny body rigid with tension. Gavelle perched on the top of the chair behind Trew.

Everyone watched him, waiting.

A muscle in Trew’s jaw tightened. “There are Skathes gathering along the southern valley border. Thirty or so.”

“Anywhere else?” I asked.