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His lip quirked in the start of a grin, and I worried he could read my every thought written in my expression.
I leapt back. “Forgive me,” I gasped. Fumbling, I returned to fastening the bandages around his chest, trying my best to put more distance between us.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Garrick said.
When I leaned forward to tie the bandage, I could feel his breath caressing my cheek. I swallowed. “It wouldn’t have been proper for me to be in this cabin at all, with bare ankles and knees.” I laughed, but it came out sounding too high-pitched. “But if not for you, I would be dead somewhere on that mountain path. Helping you after you’ve rescued me—and risked your life for me—is the least I can do.”
Garrick pressed a hand to his chest. “Well, I give my word that I’ll try to be a perfect gentleman, Starlight.”
That time, I couldn’t help the way my chest warmed at the nickname. I’d spent the past year longing to be cared for and understood, and here in the space of a few hours, a stranger had chosen not only to learn about me and accept me as I was, but also to risk his life to defend me. “Try?” I asked, handing him the roll of gauze and stepping back.
He shrugged. “Well, I am part dog.”
I bit my lip to avoid smiling at his jape. Outside, the wind howled, and my eyes tracked toward the window.
Garrick noticed my look. “Nothing can get in,” he reassured me. “Try to get some sleep. We’ll need to cover some miles tomorrow.”
When I climbed into bed, bundling into the furs, it took a long time to stop glancing at the window and relax against the pillows. Finally, I drifted into sleep, dreaming of monsters clawing against the glass...but also of muscled skin and a pair of golden eyes.
CHAPTER FOUR
My breath steamed in the air when I woke up the next morning, repressing a groan at the thought of leaving the toasty sanctuary of the fur blankets I was wrapped in.
“Good morning,” Garrick greeted me from where he crouched at the hearth, feeding logs to the tendrils of flame he’d started. His eyes, twinkling with mirth, flicked to mine. “I was starting to worry I’d have to lift you out of bed and carry you for the next leg of our journey.”
Squinting against the morning light that struck my face as soon as I sat up, I blinked and glanced out the window, noting the sun was already high in the eastern sky. It was much later than I usually slept, but then again, I didn’t usually wake in the middle of the night to dullahan attacks and a need to stitch a man’s naked skin back together.
“I only have dried meat and tea for breakfast, but I think I might have a bit more stored at our next stop, if we can make good time today.” Garrick stood and went to rummage through his cabinets, returning with strips of jerky.
I accepted two and bit into one gratefully.
“I have more clothes you can borrow. We’ll be increasing altitude and trudging through snow soon, and you can’t do that in a ballgown—or only my shirt, as lovely as your legs are.”
My cheeks flamed, scandalized that he’d noticed.
Garrick nodded to the chest at the foot of the bed, where he’d laid out a pair of trousers, shirt, belt, and stockings, as well as a heavy fur coat, gloves, and leather boots. My cheeks threatened to redden when I thought of borrowing a man’s clothes. It seemed intimate. And yet, I shook off the sensation. It was practical, a way to avoid suffering from frostbite. All my societal niceties didn’t apply here, where my goal was to survive the wilderness and the creatures that would be hunting me.
Silently, Garrick went about preparing tea, bringing me a steaming mug before offering me an uncharacteristically sheepish smile. Already clothed in layers of leather and fur, he appeared ready to leave at any moment. “I’ll give you some privacy while I...dispose of the body,” he said quietly. “I’ll knock before I return so you can warn me if you’re not dressed yet.”
His thoughtfulness warmed me. I hadn’t expected such manners from a fae, much less one who could shift into a wolf. As he exited the cabin, leaving me to finish my tea and jerky and then reluctantly climb out of bed, I thanked whichever god had been looking after my interests when they’d sent Garrick to help me. Flirtations aside, he was friendly, and though his charm made me feel awkward, it also banished any uncomfortable need for me to fill silences between us.
I scurried to the washroom, where Garrick had left a pitcher of water I could scrub my face with. It was cold, probably gathered from the stream outside, but it was fresh. Then I scrambled into the clothes he’d given me, blushing furiously when I was immersed in the same smells that clung to him—the scents of evergreen and cedar, fresh air and leather. Everything was overlarge on my frame, but I did the best I could before stuffing my feet into the boots and wrapping the coat about myself.
By the time Garrick knocked, I was cozily stationed before the fire.
