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“Yes,” I breathed, my pleasure building.
This was what I needed.Hewas what I needed. What I had always needed. I clutched his hair, pulling his face to mine, savoring every touch, every stroke, every thrust, as Fin thoroughly reminded me what it felt like to be loved.
* * *
We stood together on the lookout deck after having reluctantly dressed, finally doing our job of scouting the surrounding area in the fading daylight. Fin’s body, I’d learned, was a tapestry of scars I both wanted to and was afraid to ask him about, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
I was about to ask him about it when a glint of light flashed in the dense forest on the opposite side of the peak from our camp. “Did you see that?” I asked, glancing at Fin.
“No,” he said, moving in to stand close behind me and pressing his scruffy cheek against mine so he could see what I saw. “What was it?”
“I don’t know.” I narrowed my eyes, scanning the woods below.
It happened again, like a blink of light.
“Shit,” Fin hissed, dragging me backward around to the far side of the lookout. “That was the glint of light off glass. Likely binoculars or a spyglass.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, panic rising, desperate to understand.
“I’m not sure,” Fin said, flexing and relaxing his hand. “Nothing good.”
He crouched by his pack near the lookout hut’s door and reached inside, digging around for a moment before pulling out a pair of binoculars. He stood and peeked around the corner of the hut, focusing on the area where we had seen the glint.
“Shit,” he repeated. He lowered the binoculars and ducked back behind the building with me. “It’s Sierra soldiers.” He kicked the wall of the hut, his foot almost breaking through the frail siding. “Fuck,” he rasped, running his hands through his hair. “We have to stay here tonight.”
“What?” I shook my head as his stare grew unfocused, which I assumed meant he was using his telepathy.
Sid cawed, swooping lower from where he had been soaring high overhead.
Fin blinked and looked at me, his focus sharpening. “Sid will get word to Liam. Hills, Callon—they’ll know to pack up and move camp farther away,” he said, his words rushed. “I sent Tick to scout the Sierra camp.”
I was already shaking my head, my heart sinking.
“We’ll meet up with the others as soon as the soldiers move on at first light.”
“Tomorrow?” I blurted, my eyes opening wider. “I can’t leave Liam overnight!”
“We won’t make it back down the trail without them spotting us,” Fin said. “We need to sit tight. We’ll make our way down as soon as we can. Our people will be able to put distance between themselves and the other camp regardless of whether we’re there.”
“I can’t—” I shook my head, despondent. “Liam . . . ” What if something happened to him while I was stuck up here? This was a mistake. I couldn’t believe I had been so reckless. I never should have left him.
Fin took my hands in his, holding them tight. His eyes held mine as he waited for me to catch my breath. “We’ll be putting Liam in greater danger if we descend now,” he said carefully. “The enemy could follow us back to our camp.” He squeezed my fingers. “Besides, he’s surrounded by people who will do everything they can to protect him. If we stay put—for now—he has a better chance of remaining safe.” Fin pulled me in closer and wrapped his arms around me. “As do you.”
31
Fin
Waiting for dawn to crest with Del in my arms was something I never thought would happen again. And having already checked in with Nyx a few hours ago at camp to ensure the move in the night had gone smoothly, I was able to bask in the afterglow of last night a little.
I was still nulling us from any Sierra soldiers who would most definitely be searching for close human minds while the troops slept, but despite my surmounting exhaustion, I was in my own little bubble of heaven.
Unlike when we were younger, Del and I—us together—felt real this time. Not like an orphaned kid from the outskirts of the forest and a princess having a stolen night together. Not a fleeting night we knew would end. It felt possible to hope that there would be many mornings like it to come.
I frowned a little, remembering the pain in Del’s voice last night. The nightmare that was her life seeping back into our reality. I would’ve given anything to never hear that fear in her voice again. Knowing getting back to Liam would alleviate some of her anxieties, I let my nulling guard down and cleared my mind. I reached out for Tick’s a few klicks east. Through her senses, I felt the distant vibrations of a mass of footsteps and heard faraway voices as Tick lingered behind the Sierra troop, finally moving away from us. Finally, we could make our way to the new camp.
Kissing Del’s forehead, I squeezed her tighter to my chest and inhaled the scent of her hair. Yep, it was still there, just barely—lavender. But as much as I wished we could have lain there all morning—that I could’ve let Del sleep a little longer after being up most of the night, anxious about Liam, I had to force the haze of delirium from my mind and stir her awake.
“Del,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead. Sid stirred from sleep on his perch near the window ledge. His feathers ruffled as he stretched his leg.
