Page 14 of On Brutal Thrones

“We can stay here tonight,” Thorian says, glancing toward the river. “First, bathing for anyone who wants it. Then we’ll collect firewood and food. I’ll see if I can get the fireplace working so we can spend the evening inside. Fenric, can you get us something to eat?”

Fenric turns toward the water. “I should be able to catch fish. Might find a few edible plants along the bank too.”

“Good.”

Bathing might be the first suggestion Thorian has made all day that I wholeheartedly support. My skin feels coated in layers of sweat, dust, blood, and whatever else I picked up crawling through those tunnels. Even my hair feels heavy with grime, and the thought of clean water running over me is nearly enough to make me groan.

We follow Thorian toward the river, and the sound of moving water grows louder as we approach. By the time we reach the bank, the last of the sunlight is slipping from the sky and the air has turned cold enough that I wrap my arms around myself.

Thorian, Fenric, and Talon immediately begin stripping off their filthy clothes. Normally, the sight of all three of them undressing might do strange things to my ability to think. Right now, I mostly stare at the river.

It looks freezing.

“Please tell me one of you has a brilliant plan for making that warmer.”

Talon glances toward the water, then back at me. “I thought you were the powerful fae.”

“My powers apparently don’t include making freezing rivers pleasant.”

“Tragic.”

“Deeply.”

Even with everything that’s happened between us, I’m still shy around them.

“I’ll be over here,” I call, pointing to a little outcropping of water that’s mostly concealed by several drooping trees.

“Don’t go far,” Thorian says, his eyes narrowing, and I fight to keep my eyes from dipping down to his broad, glorious chest as he lowers himself into the water.

I know he’s thinking about what happened last time I left them to bathe in my own area, Magnus appearing and trying to use his magic to capture me. I don’t even want to think about what he might have done if it worked, if Talon hadn’t been there to save me.

I strip off my leathers and sigh as I slip into the water and work it over my skin. I wish I had soap or shampoo, but I’m also grateful for the chance to get any of the dirt from my body.

When I’m finished, I pull my leathers back on and let my wet hair hang loose around my shoulders so it can dry before I tie it back up into the braid I’ve been wearing throughout the competition.

I emerge back into the little clearing and find the men half-dressed, each of them bare-chested. Without thinking, I avert my eyes, color rising to my cheeks.

Pulling on his cotton shirt, Fenric says, “I’ll go forage, then see if I can fashion a fishing pole or some fishing traps. If not fish, maybe there are some crabs or crawdads we can get.”

“Alright,” Talon says, his gaze swinging to mine, “should we get some firewood?”

I nod, and Thorian says, “I’ll move some things around in the house, see if I can get the fireplace unblocked.”

And just like that, we’re going our separate ways, all working together to set up camp. I think back to when it was just Thorian and I, and how much longer it took to get everything done.

Now, we work efficiently. Talon and I make a game of finding the best firewood, and at one point, he pins me against a tree, pretending he needs to reach up and pluck a loose piece from its branches.

“Green wood doesn’t burn well,” I whisper to him, looking up into his blue eyes.

He cocks an arrogant smile at me and drops the stick to the ground, but not before there’s been a long moment of contact between our bodies. “Oops—my bad.”

I smile, my heartbeat racing just a little.

When we get back to the cabin, Fenric is prepping fish beside the fireplace, with a little pile of foragings nearby. Just looking at the vegetables and knowing he’s going to make them taste so good makes my mouth water.

Thorian has managed to right the cabin door so it sits fully on its hinges, and he’s cleared the old fireplace of rubble. Talon and I carry our firewood inside while Thorian gets a fire going. Before long, the cabin is warming around us, and the fish are roasting over the flames as Fenric turns the spit.

“This might just be the best meal I’ve had since getting here,” Thorian says, settling into a chair beside the fireplace.