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“Maybe because I don’t get you, Silvan Rincewind,” she fired back with more irritation than she intended. “Clearly, we’re flirting, and we’ve been doing it for a while. But at the council meeting, you had girls hanging off your arms, and I’m sure crawling out of your bed the following morning. So are you flirting with me for the fun of it or because I’m just another conquest?”
His mouth twisted into a frown. “Neither. I mean, itisfun, but you’re not a conquest, Romy.”
“What am I then?” Why did she ask that? Why did she want to beanythingto this shifter? Maybe her attraction was a form of rebellion against the life her family expected her to lead. If casual interaction was prohibited, sex was downright taboo, and everyone wanted what they couldn’t have, right? “Uggg… forget I asked. Sorry.”
“Okay.”
Silvan didn’t persist, and she liked that about him. Hell, she liked everything about the man. Dammit. Why was he so fucking irresistible? And why did he make her forget her responsibilities so easily? Romy had to get her thoughts back on track. Thora’s life depended on it. “So Fenrir’s Rose. What do you know about it?”
“My mom did a lot of healing for our pack,” he said, a hint of sadness in his tone. “Once, when I was little—just a pup—my brothers and I were out playing near a pond. I was walking across a log and, for some reason, got spooked and fell in the water. A gator, at least an eight-footer, snatched me by my back right paw and started his death roll. I was so scared. I hardly felt a thing, but I could tell without looking that it was bad. My brothers sounded the alarm and half the pack stormed the pond and ripped that gator to shreds. When my father found me, I was delirious and nearly dead.”
“Oh, Sil… and your mom…” She led, eager for him to continue.
“Mama worked on me through the night and late into the next day. I know Fenrir’s Rose helped, but I swear, she really brought me back with sheer fucking determination. She… was… stubborn.” His voice cracked, and Romy swore she saw him wipe his eyes. “Nobody tells you how bad you’re gonna miss someone when they’re gone. Nobody talks about how the grief sits with you every single fucking day.”
How could Romy respond to such a heartfelt disclosure? Silvan had shown her a tender piece of his heart, and he deserved a response, but again, her lack of experience magnified her inadequacies. She’d lost elderly family members and known acquaintances who’d passed, but everyone she cared about was still alive. How could she acknowledge his pain in a way that wouldn’t make her seem insensitive? She had no words of wisdom. No motivational mantras. All she had was compassion for his loss.
Maybe that was enough. Maybe sitting there, bearing witness to his grief, was exactly what he needed.
“I’m sorry she’s gone,” Romy whispered. “I can tell you loved her.”
“I did.” Silvan cleared his throat and then amended his statement. “Ido. Always will. Guess that’s one of the reasons I want to help you, Romy. To honor my mama. And so you don’t have to know…” He didn’t finish the sentence.
As Romy opened her mouth to respond, she rowed a stroke, and the paddle hit the bottom of the lake. By her estimation, they seemed to be at least fifty yards away from the island, so she was surprised when Silvan jumped into the water and picked up a tattered rope attached to the bow.
“I’ll pull us the rest of the way.”
“Clearly. Are you always so impulsive?”
Silvan flashed a devious smile, one that sent an ache directly between Romy’s legs. “This is nothin’, princess. Stick with me, and there’s no telling what we’ll get into.”
Silvan tiedthe boat to the remnants of a once-functioning dock. Then he dug in his bag and tossed Romy a small amber-colored bottle, which she caught with a startled look.
“Behind both ears, on your forearms and shins,” he commanded.
“What’s this?”
“Bug spray.”
Romy sniffed the contents inside. The scent was strong, oakmoss with a touch of peppermint, and the texture was slightly thicker than water. How in the world could the diluted substance protect them from anything as dangerous as he’d described? Skeptical, she followed his directions but couldn’t hide her curiosity. “So if these insects are as bad as you say, shouldn’t we have more than watered-down essential oil?”
“Some protective gear might be stashed nearby, but I’m not sure.”
“Are you kidding? Theremightbe protective gear?” she repeated. “You didn’t think to get gear from home?”
“Nope.” Silvan emphasized the P with a popping sound. “Couldn’t exactly waltz in and ask for two sets of equipment without telling them I was betraying our laws, now, could I?”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re risking a lot to help me out, and I appreciate it.” The seriousness of this mission had always been apparent to Romy because Thora’s life depended on it. But could Silvan lose his position within his pack too?
“Don’t apologize. If I didn’t want to be out here, I wouldn’t.” Another Cheshire cat smile. “Besides, I wouldn’t pass up the chance to snag another favor from you. Remember?” His hand extended, and Romy accepted. The instant they made contact, a bolt of electricity—a literal current with violet sparks—united them.
She nearly pulled from his grasp until she sensed his peace… and something more. His power. His strength. The wolf’s wild ferocity. While she’d never experienced the electrical surge in her life, she had felt a similar connection before… to Silvan’s sworn enemy.Bastian.
“Is… umm…thisnormal?” His free hand went between them and inside the current still blazing, still linking them. “Feel it, Romy. It’s like a cold flame.”
Marveling at what they’d created, she touched the tip of a mauve-colored spark. He was right—it was ice and fire at the same time. “Not normal, for sure. It’s weird because we touched last night in the woods. Wonder why it didn’t happen then?”
“Maybe ’cause you realized I’m not the Big Bad Wolf. Not all the time, at least.”
