Page 45 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

Glancing up, I offer her a small smile. “Thank you, Rosaline. For everything.”

With a nod, she turns and begins making her way back downstairs.

“I hope you’re planning to share.”

Smiling at Mariane’s sleepy grumbling, I nudge the door shut with my shoulder and turn to face her, brow raised. “Oh? Now, why in the hells would I do that?”

A yawn interrupts her valiant attempt at a scowl. “Rude,” she mutters, sitting up and running a hand through her sleep-mussed hair. “Any idea what time it is?”

“Not a clue.” I shake my head, crossing the room and placing the tray on the bed in front of her crossed legs. “Your breakfast, Your Majesty.”

Snorting a laugh, she picks up one of the forks next to the large plate brimming with sausage and eggs. “I thought you weren’t going to share?”

“Ah, seems I’ve changed my mind.” I shrug, doing my best to keep my eyes on hers and not let them drift to her bare chest. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. And you?” she mumbles, mouth filled with eggs.

Grinning at the way her cheeks are puffed out like a chipmunk’s, I sit on the end of the bed and grab the other fork. “Best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” She smiles, then pops a small sausage into her mouth. Her eyes close and a downright sinful moan echoes throughout the room. “Oh my gods, that’s good.”

My own forkful of food hovers in midair, halfway to my mouth, entirely forgotten as my eyes fall to the lips Mariane is now licking. I resist the urge to lick my own when she takes a bite out of a strip of bacon and groans just as loudly.

Why must this woman tease me so? It’s entirely unfair of her. Last night had already been bad enough. Feeling the delightfully soft skin of her back while I’d wrapped my arms around her. The way her breasts had brushed against mine when she’d cuddled into me, resting her head on her shoulder. Feeling her lips brush against my skin right before she placed a soft kiss on the side of my neck. Hearing the soft sigh she’d let out as she drifted off to sleep.

Trying to ignore my sudden arousal, I force the grin to remain on my face and ask, “Not to interrupt, but what time would you like to leave?” I shove the bite of eggs on my fork into my mouth, only now remembering its existence. “It’s a full day’s ride to the edge of Farwen Forest from here.”

“Hmm.” She taps the prongs of her fork against her bottom lip. “If we leave a bit after lunch, we might be able to make it to the very edge of the forest a little before nightfall. We can camp there for the night, and after that, it should only take another half day or so to make it to my village.”

“You know…” I toss one of the mini sausages into my mouth. “You could just say that you wanted more of Slivo’s cooking before we left. No need to make up excuses.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” she mutters, her cheeks reddening.

“Of course not,” I say, voice filled with sarcasm. Taking another bite of egg, I add, “That does sound like a good plan though. I still need to talk to Slivo a bit more before we leave. Hopefully, I can beg them out of a bit of food to take with us as well.”

“What did you need to talk to them about? If you don’t mind me asking.”

I take my time chewing while I think of how much I want to tell her. Eventually, I say, “We have a mutual acquaintance that I’m hoping they’ll be willing to send a message to for me. I’d do it myself, but…” I trail off, a wave of undesired emotions washing over me.

“But what?”

Sighing, I force myself to admit, “We didn’t leave off on the best of terms. She…um… She’s my ex.”

“I see.” Mariane purses her lips, clearly attempting to hold back her laughter by clearing her throat. “And why exactly do you need to send a message to your ex?”

Now it’s my cheeks that are heating up from embarrassment and I close my eyes before grumbling, “She’s an excellent fighter and has a lot of connections. I’m hoping she’ll be willing to help us… If I offer her enough coin.”

“How bad was the break-up? “

I grit my teeth. “I walked in on her riding one man’s cock while another’s was halfway down her throat. I didn’t bother waiting for an explanation, or a poor attempt at apology. Left the town we’d been temporarily staying in immediately afterwards. Haven’t spoken to her since.”

Mariane winces, and when I open my eyes, I see her brows furrowed in sympathy. “So, bad. Very bad.” When I accidentally let out a scoff, she reaches out and grabs my hand. “Hey, if it would hurt you to see her again, we don’t need her help. I’m sure between the two of us we have enough charisma to charm at least a few volunteers.”

I shake my head, barking out a laugh. “I’m afraid charm will only get you so far with mercenaries, Your Majesty. Sadly, it will in fact be our coin that’ll need to do the talking.”

She shrugs. “Well, I have none. So, I’ll be using what I do have.”

“Fair enough.” I smile, pointing my fork at the plate of food between us. “Now, we should probably finish eating before our meal gets cold.”