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I sighed. Of course it wasn't. Ore said the crew had an agreement with the mountain spirit. And they had magical protections in place as well, I was sure. For a rockslide to happen at the exact moment that I was in the pass…no, it was too convenient when I had a would-be assassin stalking me.
"I'm so sick of this shit," I groaned, falling back onto the riverbank. My teeth chattered as a breeze kicked up, cooling my already chilled skin and soaking wet clothes.
Bach sighed and pushed himself up to his feet, then offered me a hand up. "Believe me," he said darkly, "so am I."
I took his offered hand and let him drag me to my feet. "Come on," I said tiredly as I took in our surroundings. "I recognize where we are. There's a hot spring just up there," I said, pointing off into the woods a little further. "We can get warm at least. And a minor drying charm and some sunshine will make our clothes wearable again. If someone hasn't found us by then, we can hike back to the guard station."
Bach nodded and gestured for me to lead the way. "After you, my lady."
I snorted at the formality after what we had just been through. But I was shivering from my prolonged dip in the icy river, and I refused to make the trek by to civilization uncomfortably wet and half frozen, so I couldn't muster the energy for a retort.
A short hike into the woods revealed the steamy pool. In my current state, it was even more beautiful than I remembered, a natural depression in a rocky area of ground, surrounded by lush vegetation that thrived in the humidity and warmth. "There are quite a few of these scattered around the base of the mountain," I told Bach as I dragged my shirt off over my head. "They've saved quite a few winter travelers."
I stripped down to my underthings, then turned to Bach, who had done the same. My throat went dry at the sight of his broad, muscular chest and the tapering vee that dipped below his damp undershorts. He lifted a brow at me, before pointedly sweeping his own gaze over my own barely clad body.
I took a bracing breath and reminded myself this was nothing. Fae weren't ashamed of their bodies. And besides, Bach and I had seen each other naked already, in a very intimate way. This was nothing. But for some silly reason, it felt different. "Hand me your clothes and I'll do the laundry charm and put them in the sun to get them drying."
He nodded and stepped closer, handing over his things. "Helpful charm to have," he said, his deep voice a bit more rumbly than usual.
I shrugged, feeling my face heat at his words. "It's brownie magic," I said as I laid our things out on a boulder in the sun. "Lowborn. Not flashy or lifesaving. But it comes in handy from time to time." I muttered the charm and worked my minor magic under Bach's thoughtful blue gaze.
"What?" I said, turning to him with my hands on my hips when the last of the clothing was laid out in the sun to finish drying.
He shook his head, the sunlight gleaming on his shiny black horns. "I've always hated those terms—highborn and lowborn. You undervalue yourself and your talents," he said firmly. "Your magic is no better or worse than anyone else's. We all have our gifts, and they are all valuable, blessings given to us by the source."
I sighed. "I know. It's just that you—and the others—you all have such big, important magic. Sometimes I feel outclassed next to such flashy mates."
I headed toward the pool and Bach's deep chuckle followed me. "I think your mates feel outclassed by you. We've all learned a few lessons in humility and patience, thanks to you."
I groaned as I sank down into the nearly too-hot water. Goosebumps prickled over my skin at the contrast between my frozen state and the hot water. Bach hissed as he did the same.
We floated there for a long time in silence, soaking in the blessed warmth. When I felt myself go all wrinkly and sweat started beading on my face, I reluctantly pushed myself to the edge of the pool and heaved myself out, sitting on the lip of the stone basin with my legs still dangling into the water.
Bach followed me, standing, but not leaving the pool. He silently paced closer, coming to stand before me with his big hands on my knees. My eyes traveled over the glistening planes of his body, and I wanted to touch, to trace every chiseled inch of muscle that was revealed.
"I thought I had lost you," he finally said, his deep voice soft. "When that boulder fell on you. When you plunged into the water, and I thought the current had already pulled you under the mountain…."
I gazed into his blue bright blue eyes and saw the anguish there. And the regret. Reaching out tentatively, I traced the flared arch of his fin-like ears. "I thought I was a goner," I admitted with a shaky exhale. Fife's spell saved me from physical assaults, maybe even from magic. But I didn't think it would let me live without oxygen. "I'm okay, though," I whispered, staring into those beautiful blue eyes, my fingers trailing down from his ear to trace the handsome lines of his square jaw. "You saved me."
He closed his eyes in a long blink. When he opened them again, his expression was fierce. "Of course I did," he bit out. "You're my mate." One of his big hands came to rest along my cheek, mirroring my touch. "I'm so sorry, Kat. For everything. I meant what I said before. I want us to get along. To be friends. But I downplayed what I really want. And today I almost lost you without ever telling you."
"What is it you really want?" I whispered, barely daring to breathe lest I break this fragile moment.
He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine as his eyes slipped closed. His breath mingled with my own. "You," he breathed. "I want you, Kat. I want all of you. Not some distant working partnership, not some platonic half bond. I want more. I want everything."
He opened his eyes and lifted his head, his hand slipping to the nape of my neck as his lips hovered over mine. "I want this bonding," he whispered, "all of it."
I leaned in and closed the distance between him in reply. It was like coming home. I had dreamed about this moment ever since I left him in that room in the inn in Astra only to realize that he was part of the tournament. I had wanted Bach to be mine ever since the first night I tasted his lips on mine. I had felt drawn to him ever since I first met him, and that pull had only increased with every day we spent together. As I sank into his kiss, I did my best to convey all that pent-up yearning.
Big hands came to rest on my hips, his fingers pressing into my plump curves. His tongue tangled with mine, and I parted my thighs as he pressed forward to stand between my knees. My core tingled, and memories of our previous night together flashed through my mind. I wanted Bach, needed him. Here. Now. The half-formed mate bond between us sang inside me, crying out for completion.
And then Bach pulled away.
"Not here," he said, his deep voice nearly a growl of lust. "Not like this. We should--"
I snarled and pulled him into another rough, sharp kiss before releasing him long enough to speak. "Not you too!" I snapped. "My mates are all conspiring against me to give me an inferiority complex. Are you working alone? Or is it a group effort to assassinate me with wanting?"
He chuckled darkly, his hands still gripping my hips just a touch too hard, claws denting the flesh. "I'm aware of your connection with the others," he ground out. "Which is exactly why I think we should wait." And after that enigmatic statement, he added, "Besides, you were just nearly killed. We're both a bit too emotional to be clear-headed about finalizing the bond. I simply…" He sighed. "I simply couldn't go another second without telling you how I feel."
