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I snorted. He was probably right—Nica had a way of getting what he wanted out of both Wey and Braz. Nica embraced me, and leaning into him, I soaked up his warmth.Goddess, all my lovers are always so warm. I love it.
Nica kissed my hair. “I don’t know how long he’ll be in that form. It’s been such a long time since he could shift.”
“We should’ve brought a blanket with us. It’s chilly.”
Nica hummed. “I have an idea if you want to stay out here.”
I nodded, and Nica pulled away from me to begin undressing.
“Nica,” I hissed. Oh my, did he want to…? I wasn’tthatcold to… oh my. “I can’t… we can’t… not outdoors where anyone can watch!”
He froze, staring at me, then burst into laughter. “Oh, little bird, I really do love you.”
I lifted my brows. “I love you, too, but what are you doing?”
He dropped his pants, naked in all his delicious, muscly glory, his cock on full display. I tried not to look at it but couldn’t help but take a peek. Or two. Or three.
“My eyes are up here, little bird.”
My cheeks flushed, but I finally managed to pull my gaze away and up to his amused, green orbs.
Nica grinned. “I’m going to shift to keep you warm. We can stay out here as long as you like.”
“Oh.”
His smile widened, and he winked, then went down on his hands and knees. From one breath to the next, a tiger stood in front of me. He was huge and absolutely gorgeous, covered in shining orange and black stripes with tufts of white around his beautiful face and along his belly. I’d seen him in tiger form many times—hell, he’d carried me for days—yet still, he never failed to stun me.
He walked over and pressed his huge tiger head into my chest, and I laughed and buried my fingers in his soft fur. “You’re such a pretty tiger,” I cooed, earning a purr from him. Nica had told me that all feline shifters purred, apparently, regardless of what type of big cat they shifted into. It wasn’t a sound I’d often heard in House Natas unless we were in the relative safety of our cell, but here, out in the fresh air, free, I’d heard Nica purr more often. It was one of the sweetest sounds.
He huffed, rubbing along my body before he gently pushed me over a few steps. He walked in a circle before lying down and staring at me with eyes that begged for cuddles. With a smile, I sat in the curve of his large body, my back against his ribs. Nica curled up around me, resting his head on my lap, my hands finding their way to his fur again. His natural higher temperature mixed with his soft fur was exactly what I’d needed.
And we watched over our gargoyle for a long time before the comfort of my tiger lulled me into sleep.
For once, I didn’t have a nightmare.
* * *
It was nearly sunsetthe next day, and Weylyn was still in his stone form. I was starting to worry. Nica shifted back to his bipedal form earlier in the day and was pretending that everything was fine. But he’d been fidgety and pacing a lot for the last couple of hours, so I knew he was as concerned as I was.
Braz and Florin had been bringing us food and sitting nearby throughout the day as well. They were currently sitting against a tree, whispering together, but I saw their concerned expressions every time they turned this way.
Nica stopped pacing and rushed over to me, saying, “I smell Kasper.”
My brow furrowed until I saw Kasper Denholm walk out of the camp and toward us. “Do you think he’ll punish us for missing training today?”
Nica put his hand on my lower back. “He can try.” His nostrils flared when I glanced at him. For all the sweet, funny, laid-back guy he was with me, I often forgot he was a warrior. A strong one, at that. A champion who’d won more battles than everyone in all three kingdoms, minus Braz and Weylyn. And now, with a potential threat on the horizon, Nica was fierce and ready for battle.
I stepped closer to him, nudging him, but the Resistance leader’s approach was making an already irritable tiger more on edge. Braz and Florin moved over to us as well, and I saw Braz’s muscles filled with tension. Nica wasn’t the only one on high alert.
Kasper offered a smile, stopping ten feet away, and said, “Good evening.”
“Good evening,” I said, but the others said nothing.
That didn’t deter the other gargoyle at all. He simply smiled wider. “I came to check on young Weylyn.”
A growl started to rumble in Nica’s chest. I could feel it against my side.
Kasper held up his hands. “I mean no harm, Nicabar.”
