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Jude stilled for a moment, and then he reached for my hand. He placed it on his heart. “Never thank me for that, Kiara,” he rasped. A mischievous glint entered his right eye. “Not when there are other things I’d prefer you thank me for.”
I gently jabbed him in the ribs. “Commander!” I said in mock disbelief. “And here I thought your ego was already large enough.”
His lips lifted, and he shifted his hips suggestively. Immediately, heat rose from my neck and to my cheeks.
“Are you sure you’re talking about my ego, recruit?”
I shot him a look. “Who are you, and what have you done with my brooding commander?” A man whose smile never had reached his eyes until recently.
“You’ve thoroughly ruined him.”
“Good,” I said, suddenly feeling breathless. “I like you ruined for me.”
I didn’t need to tell him he’d done the same to me. He already knew.
Jude carefully scooped me up in his arms and stood, holding me like I weighed nothing. Like he didn’t have a damned injured shoulder to worry about.
Instinctively, I wound my hands around his neck, my eyes locking with his as he carried me to where the rabbit cooked over the fire. But while my stomach growled and begged for food, I was captivated by the way in which he returned my stare.
That look triggered my heart to flutter all over again. Something about this man sparked me to life, made me feel like I was struck by lightning and dipped in flames.
Never breaking contact, Jude set me gently on my feet, his broad hands still holding onto my waist. “Your throne.” He nodded toward a polished boulder directly before the flickering orange and yellow flames. I rolled my eyes but ambled over to my seat, my knees wobbling.
Jude hesitantly looked away, but not before I saw the shy smile that flourished upon his lips.
You and me both, I thought, feeling happier than I had in years. So completely happy that it frightened me.
Jude understood me. I couldn’t describe it to someone, should they ask, but that didn’t matter.Ifelt it. How our beating hearts could speak to each other in a language only we seemed to know.
Every time he looked at me, even on that fateful day in my village, he saw a woman who wanted to fight, to become something greater than anyone could imagine. All of our jagged pieces might not have fit together perfectly, but what a beautiful, disastrous mosaic we made.
I watched him work, slicing up the rabbit and preparing our meal, all the while heartbroken over the childhood he’d endured.
Jude had opened up to me, exposing a side of himself I doubted many, if any, had seen. And that,thatwas the reason I knew without a doubt that I could trust him with my own secrets, regardless of what my grandmother had warned.
Sometimes people were wrong.
“It might be a little overcooked, but I never claimed to be a chef.” A chunk of meat on a stick waved beneath my nose, and I startled, having been thoroughly lost in thought.
“After not eating for so long, this is going to be the best meal I’ve ever had.” Snatching the stick, I thrust the rabbit into my mouth with little to no finesse. Jude would have to deal with my poor manners.
All he did was chuckle, digging into his meal, although he ate his like a refined human being. The rabbit was gone within minutes, and my stomach thanked me as the food weighed heavy in my belly.
Without a word, Jude handed me his canteen, which he must have filled up at some point from the stream. “Thanks.” I grinned, unscrewing the lid to chug half the contents.
With dehydration and hunger no longer a concern, I decided it was time to scrub the grime from my flesh.
“I’m going to wash up.”
Jude’s eyes popped up from his rabbit, flickering back to the flames a heartbeat later. “I’ll be right here.” He kept his gaze lowered, a slight tinge of pink on the fearsome Knight’s cheeks. I was feeling generous, as I likely was blushing myself, so I let it slide.
Once I’d made my way to the stream, I peeled off my soiled garments with a groan. I already felt naked without the protection of my gloves. I’d left them beside the fire, beside Jude, and my fingers curled as I inspected the flowing blue-black lines.
I twisted the wrist of my left hand, the one Jude had kissed so reverently.
No one had ever taken the time to look upon my scars before, but when Jude had so lovingly inspected them, I’d finally allowed myself to do the same. The deep hues shimmered, and for just a moment, I saw the haunting beauty in them.
A smile tugged at my lips, unbidden, and I stole a curious glance over my shoulder, finding Jude in the same position I’d left him in, his eyes glued to the fire.
