Exactly. We are alike in our vanity. I will alert the others of your plan.
Raine signaled to Maeryn it was time to stop. They held up their arms to communicate to the remaining army, unable to see most of them but assured they’d pass the word along.
Raine dismounted, finding a grove of trees nearby to tether his horse. Reins in hand, he approached Maeryn.
“I’ll take him,” he offered.
“Thank you, captain.”
“Anything for you, boss,” he said with a wink.
She shook her head. “I’ll go help set up camp.”
Raine trudged through the mud, unable to get Maeryn’s bright eyes out of his head. And those pouty lips he wanted so desperately to kiss. And bite. And tug on that damned lip ring. And the water droplets running down her neck from the rain…he wanted to lick them off. To run his tongue along every inch of her skin to see what she tasted like.
Fuck.
Calm your thoughts. This is almost as bad as Finnick,Sabriel said, trotting over.
“I’m aware.”
When you fall, you fall hard and fast. Control yourself. We’re in a war.
“Well aware of that too. Thank you for the amazing advice.”
She barked and disappeared into the woods to hunt.
After securing the leads to a tree, he joined his soldiers to help with camp set up, giving orders as they erected the tents. Another flash of lightning lit the sky, revealing that the clouds were drifting further away. The rain had subsided to a light drizzle, the bulk of the storm finally passed.
“If you have earth or stone magic, use it to reinforce the floors underneath the tents. It will help with the mud,” he called.
Maeryn stood with Aelerion, using their lava to attempt to start a fire.
Raine stopped beside them. “It’s too wet,” the king said. “Once the wood catches, the rain immediately puts it out.”
“What if I made a shelter?” Raine asked.
“You can do that with your vines?” Maeryn asked.
He lowered his voice. “I can do a lot with my vines.”
Maeryn scoffed and waved her hand. “Show us.”
“What? The shelter or the?—”
“Captain,” she cut him off. “Make a shelter.”
They stood in an open meadow, trees on the edge where the horses were being kept, but hardly anything nearby that would be able to protect the fires from the rain. Raine raised a hand, vines rising from the ground, and wove them tightly together. He grew thick roots, reinforcing the structure and soon had created a small open shelter, bolstered by four woven pillars and a roof. Tall enough where the flames wouldn’t set it on fire.
“Impressive,” Aelerion boomed. “Let’s make several more throughout camp.”
Raine’s stomachrumbled as he headed to the cook, the smell of stew tickling his nose with the promise of sustenance. Maeryn was still overseeing the last of the setup, while the rest of the leaders were conferring inside the command tent. He planned to join them, but he was starving. Besides, Maeryn hadn’t eaten either and he wasn’t going to let her work ethic get in the way of her nutrition. It wasn’t the first time he’d interrupted her, encouraging her to eat.
She was more stubborn than Casimir. Never stopping.
Bowls of stew in hand, he searched for the beauty, finding her near one of the campfires.
“It’s time for a break, boss. Come sit and eat with me.”
