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"No more nightmares for you,mo chroí. Up you get."
I blinked at the wolf. I'd never seen him properly by daylight. He was like the burning wick of a flame at night, glowing and lighting up a room, but in the sunlight from my window there was a softer quality, and it shook the bleak grip of my dreams out of my head.
"Good morning," I rasped.
"Good afternoon," Conall corrected. He was grinning, but there was a tightness around his eyes.
I licked my lips, and those spring green eyes watched the motion. "Last night wasn't your fault."
Conall blinked, his grin and the tension both disappearing. He sat heavily down at the corner of the bed. "I should've woken you."
I shook my head. "Memories were bound to catch up to me. I've been clawing for my life since I escaped that house."
"You're safe now," Conall said, words growling slightly.
I nodded, a fragile smile curling my lips. "I'm learning that. But if I'm not starving and running and hiding…"
Conall's head tipped. "It gives you time to think."
"To remember." I swallowed around the bitter word.
Conall turned his face to the door, eyes narrowing and jaw clenching. A moment later, a breath gusted out of his chest and his head shook, brilliant red hair catching and tossing the sunlight along its length. His laughter was rough and bitter. "I usually leave the heroic feelings to Asterion and the others, but you seem to draw out the impulse to hunt for shining armor."
I shoved the tangled blankets away from me, and Conall's eyes slid back to my body with an entirely ignoble graze over my breasts. "I would think armor is fairly ungainly."
At last, the wolf seemed to recover himself, a bright, feral grin on his lips. "Oh trust me,mo chroí, I move much better without it." I hummed and stifled my laugh, and Conall braced his hands on either side of my calves. "In fact, I am at my best out of clothing altogether."
My heart swelled in my chest, and my eyes watered and I shut them quickly, before he might misunderstand the tears. "I don't doubt that," I said on a shaky sigh.
"Hmm…what are you thinking right now, Evanthia?" Conall asked, one hand stroking my calf, gentle scratches from his claws teasing my skin.
I smiled and opened my eyes and watched the worry flicker over his beautiful face. "I missed seduction. And flirting."
Conall barked out a laugh. "Yes, I suppose Asterion and Laszlo aren't the best candidates when it comes to flirtation and seduction."
My gaze slid away as I recalled the stroke and press of Asterion's cock through silk. But that hadn't been seduction so much as a dreamy necessity. I still wondered why he'd done it and then vanished before I could really thank him. Was he only worried about my hunger, or was there any selfish enjoyment on his side?
"Don't take it personally that he didn't return," Conall said, ducking his head to catch my eye, winking at me. "If anything, it's a testament to how badly he wants to be here." I bit my lip, considering a question, but Conall continued on before I could sort it out. "Now. I promised you sunshine today, and in spite of the odds, Wales listened. Or perhaps Hywel caught a whiff of it, who knows with him. Eat something and then join me outside."
"You're a bit managing," I pointed out.
Conall laughed again, rising from the bed and shrugging. "Most don't notice. But yes. And on that note…" He trailed off, eyes taking another languid study of me, smile sharpening. "Don't dress. It's warm out, and you won't want it for what I have planned."
My eyebrows rose, but he just turned on his heel and strode to the door, sliding his hands in his pockets.
"If it's a seducer you need,mo chroí, I'm the beast for you," he threw over his shoulder.
My heart kicked with nerves, but the heat pooling low in my core throbbed in agreement.
* * *
There wasno sign of Laszlo when I finished my meal, and the castle was silent aside from Conall's pacing in the great hall. I leaned over the balcony to watch him flit from one object to the next, chuckling at a tapestry of hunters cornered by monstrous wolves, picking up a book and flipping carelessly through its pages.
"Are you coming down?" he called without turning to look up at me.
"What are your plans for me?" I asked, resting my elbows on the bannister.
Conall spun around, flashing me a grin. "In general? Or this afternoon?"
