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Liam nodded, offering his hand to Spencer, who clasped it tightly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. Be safe.”
Linc bent to scoop Briar off the ground, cradling her in his arms and giving Noah a friendly grin. “See you soon, man. Look after her, yeh?”
“Always,” Noah answered, and I could hear the returning grin in his voice.
I leaned back into his embrace as I gave my big sister a small wave. She returned it with a watery smile, but as Linc leaned in to whisper in her ear a fierce blush suddenly flooded her cheeks that made me grin.
At the very least, she was in for an entertaining journey.
Chapter Thirteen
Cordelia
Thewarmthofthefire caressed my skin as I stared into the flames in front of me, the pops and crackles loud in my ears as twilight fell and a blanket of calm settled over the forest.
It was a tiny fire, needing to fit in the small space between trees that was one of a cluster we had found when deciding to settle for the night. The pack had been forced to split into several groups in the densely packed forest, each one taking their own space but leaving us all near enough that any trouble would easily be spotted. Not that we were expecting any issues now. No guards had followed us, there had been no sign of any one but ourselves for miles, and we were only a hard day’s walk from The Pack Lands.
A few wolves were out hunting for food while others finished setting fires and sleeping areas, and I had happily claimed this quiet space, grabbing a few minutes of true peace and calm for the first time in a good while.
The flames helped, giving me a point of focus that let me briefly forget the turmoil that seemed to have taken over my life. Breathing deeply, I let my mind fall blank and still, making me feel like I had fallen into the eye of the storm, the winds swirling close by but briefly unable to touch me, and I clung to the sense of peace while I had the chance.
I felt Liam’s approach before I heard him, our bond shimmering like a cord of light and energy in my mind’s eye. I also sensed his hesitance and uncertainty among the scramble of emotions he was projecting, and my gut swooped as he settled by the fire beside me.
Grabbing the leaves and roots I had gathered as I’d walked through the day, I shook off my trance and began to rip and crush them into a small pan of water I had warmed by the fire, steadily forming a thick, dark paste as Liam wordlessly watched me work. Setting it aside to cool slightly once it was done, I finally glanced across at him, the look in his eyes making my breath catch as he stared back at me.
“Are you ok?” I murmured, my voice refusing to fully function under the intensity of his gaze, his emotions so jumbled that I couldn’t get a read on what he was really thinking.
He considered my question, tipping his head a little and giving me a rueful smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Not really. You?”
I shook my head. “Not really.”
He sighed, running a palm over the back of his neck. “Princess…”
My pulse jumped as he trailed off, anxiety threading through me as he seemed to search for what to say. What if I was wrong about his involvement in leaving me behind? He had never wanted me as his mate, not really. We’d been forced into this mating, and my own mother had just murdered his parents in cold blood. Maybe I’d been kidding myself about all of this, and the realisation that he could probably hardly stand to look at me made my blood run cold and nausea swirl in my gut.
“Don’t,” I said, almost snapping at him as I slammed up my mental walls and drew back from the bond self-protectively.
He blinked at me in surprise at the sudden change in mood, his eyes narrowing a second later as he realised that I had thrown up my defences and wasn’t prepared to have this conversation. I bent forward and grabbed the still-hot paste, moving forwards and cutting off anything he might have said as I crawled directly and purposefully into his lap. Straddling him to pin him in place, I placed the pan down beside us and pulled at his shirt, tugging it off over his head and ignoring the stunned and slightly pissed look on his face.
“What are you…”
He cut off with a hiss of pain as I slapped a handful of poultice paste onto his shoulder wound, knowing it was still too hot but needing to shut down and avoid the conversation he was trying to start.
I knew I was being childish, that I was running from something we needed to face, but I couldn’t handle the hard truths right now. I needed to hang onto my hope and my heart a little longer, even if that meant I was being selfish or naïve.
His hands moved to my sides as I began to work the paste into the broken skin, his grip tightening as he breathed through the pain. A low groan echoed through him, the sound making my breath catch as I abruptly realised what an idiotic plan it was to have climbed on top of him.
My body reacted instinctively to his, the noises rumbling through his chest and the feel of his fingers digging into the curve of my hips sending a liquid heat trickling through me as I tried desperately not to squirm in his lap. Swallowing hard, I tried to push away my reaction to the way he was pulling me into his solid body, but I saw the moment that he caught the scent of my arousal and felt his gaze become a searing brand on my skin.
“You’re running from me again,” Liam murmured, his thumbs stroking over my hip bones and making me shiver.
With a stubborn huff of breath I ignored his words, focusing on finishing my task and refusing to give into this moment when I had no idea where we stood as a couple. With a growl of frustration, he knocked my hands away and tugged me closer, making heat pool in my core as he pressed me against his hard lines and coiled strength. Leaning in, he lightly ran his nose along the skin of my shoulder, and as a small gasp escaped my lips his restraint seemed to snap.
The world twisted suddenly as he flipped me onto my back, settling between my legs and pinning me to the hard ground.
“Talk to me,” he growled, his dark eyes boring into mine as he caged me in.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to reign in my reaction to him, shaking my head a little in refusal.
