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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Errok
Ihad dragged myselfall over his cursed mountain, growing more panicked every moment I could not find her, and the confounding creature had been asleep inmy bedthe entire time? I dropped Zuh-Tephanie’s bag on the stone floor of my cave, staring moodily down at her peaceful face.
It was only a chance encounter with my aunt Tilka in the tunnels that alerted me to where my mate had ended up.
“Don’t forget, Errok,” she said, eyeing me intently after she’d told me where Zuh-Tephanie was, “to be gentle.”
I’d scoffed at her, laughing bitterly. I’d told her that my mate required no gentleness. Her heart-wrenchingly beautiful eyes were hard as blades and her one little tongue was as swift and sharp as an arrow.
But Tilka had slashed her hand through the air.
“She is not who I meant.”
Who else would be in my cave with me besides my mate? Who else deserved my gentleness?
Clearly, the entire mountain had gone mad in my absence. Lerokan defied me with even greater vigour than before, and now my eccentric but usually sane aunt was talking utter nonsense.
Or maybe they hadn’t gone mad in my absence. Maybe they were simply following in their Gahn’s footsteps. Because as I stared down at Zuh-Tephanie, I felt madness closing in on quick wings.
But even though she’d driven me out of my mind, I could not hate her. Part of me almost wanted to. Because hate would not hurt me like love had.
I sighed, weariness making my limbs heavy. I did not like to admit it, but I still needed some time to return to my full strength. I was well on my way, but the flight had been a long one, and I was tired. It was more than the physical strain that wore on me, I knew. It was also her. Her presence. Her absence. The fact she was right in front of me and yet totally unreachable.
I slid my bow, quiver, blades, and weapons straps from my body. I almost wanted to, out of spite, let them clatter loudly to the floor so that she’d be forced to wake up to the sight of her mate, her Gahn, standing before her.
But, my eyes trained with painful devotion on her sleeping face the entire time, I instead lowered them silently to the stone. Then, I turned from her and prepared a fire in the fireplace, worried about the fact she slept atop the hides instead of bundled warmly beneath them. I’d told her that if she came here, I’d show her every luxury this mountain had to offer. I could not have her be cold on her first night in my cave.
My cave.
I’d waited for this moment. Yearned for it. The moment I’d have my mate in my cave for the first time.
It... Did not quite live up to my expectations.
I stood, regarding the fire critically, before turning towards the bed once more.
I started, finding Zuh-Tephanie’s eyes open and watching me.
“I tried not to wake you,” I grunted defensively.
“Thank you for the fire,” she said softly.
I waited for it – for her harsh words. Or for the dread they might cause me. But they didn’t come. The coldness in her had cracked. Or maybe melted under the heat of the fire I’d built. I added one more surreptitious log to the blaze, hoping the trend might continue, before striding back to the bed.
She sat up and took off her hooded cloak, dropping it on the stone as I came to a stop before her. She stared down at the floor for some time before finally meeting my gaze.
