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“We should go, Ann. It’s not safe for you.”
And something strange occurs to me.
“Were you with me in the shadow world?” There was a distinct time I can remember when the king acted as if someone was tapping his shoulder.
He nods. “I’ve been with you since you met the shadow beasts.”
This is information I don’t know what to do with.
“But, Ann, we do need to go. We can talk about all of this later, okay?” He pulls me into a hug, but I don’t relax against him. Even knowing that it’s Rayne doesn’t take away from the feeling that I shouldn’t be touching another man like this.
My shadow beasts have stolen my heart.
He releases his hold on me, and our eyes catch. “I know things have changed, but we’re going to figure it out. We just need to get to safety first.”
He’s right, even though running feels like the last thing we should be doing right now.
We move down the bank of the river to the west, and I would thinktwo towersas a name would meantowers, something man-made. But when I see them, I know I’ve found where I’m supposed to wait.
There are two giant oaks at the edge of the river, shading a cave that seems to run underneath the water. “That’s where we’re supposed to go.” I point to the opening and Rayne nods.
“Okay.”
“Another damp cave. Figures, huh?”
He chuckles and pulls me into another hug. “I’ve missed you, Ann.”
When he lowers his head, pressing his lips against mine, I’m surprised, but I don’t pull away. His kiss is tentative at first, like he expects I might punch him. And maybe I will. But then, he plunges his fingers into my hair and holds my head as he slides his tongue into my mouth, teases, coaxes, tempts me. It’s so strangely familiar that I close my eyes, and I’m taken back to a simpler time. A time before I lost my one and only mate.
Tears spring to my eyes. It’s Rayne and he’s here with me. I don’t need more than that. Not right now anyway. Later, I would figure out how to tell him he’s not my only mate, not anymore, and see if we can all find a way to be together. Even if some small thought whispers in the back of my mind that before Rayne touches me again, I’ll need to talk to my other men. I might have never imagined that Rayne could come back, but he has. We would have to deal with it.
And, I hope, my men could accept Rayne. Because I don’t think I can lose any of them without losing my heart.
