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Warm winds blew past us as I held her, but they weren’t enough to stop her from shivering. The price for dark magic was steep, and she’d been paying for it dearly since I’d last seen her.
Suddenly, she stiffened and pulled from my embrace.
I lifted my hands, watching her closely. She was skittish, like a frightened rabbit cornered by a wolf. So different than the girl who’d just slain two beasts without batting an eye.
"Lorelei, wait. Let me help you, you're—"
"I'm fine," she said, stepping backwards until her back hit the fallen log behind her. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused as she looked from the bodies torched on the ground back to me. Panic washed over her face. Her body straightened as she attempted to collect her poise and regain her calm.
She still looked ready to flee, but with a deep calming breath and as much control as she could, she repeated, "I'm fine." She perched on the fallen log.
"I think you might be in shock," I said slowly. Her eyes were wide and her pupils so large, it was hard to see anything else.
Her finger pointed at me. "You're still bleeding," she said and touched her hand to my neck. A wound I'd not even noticed was there, immediately healed. Then she lowered her hand as another wave of guilt and regret came over her.
I glanced over my shoulder, drawn to something in the shadows. She followed my gaze, her face lined with concern.
"Relax. It’s nothing," I assured her. Although neither of us actually believed that to be true.
I rose. "Just wait here. I’ll be right back." I jogged toward the forest edge. By the time I’d managed to investigate the sound and return to her, she’d vanished.
I vaulted over the fallen, scorched tree, and darted toward the tall grass after her. I scanned the surrounding forest, my heart accelerating fast, cursing myself for leaving her side even for a moment. She was stronger than she looked, but she wasn’t invincible.
A twig snapped. Wheeling around, I caught a flash of movement beyond the brush—a blur of white streaked past. It was her.
“Lorelei, wait.” I sprang into the woods after her. She ran deeper and deeper into the thickness, veering off the path. I hurdled fallen logs and ducked low-hanging branches, chasing to catch up to her. Eventually, the thickness of the forest fell away and opened into an overgrown clearing. I slowed my pace, feeling she was close. It resembled a piece of the human world, full of old relics and mortal castoffs, rusted and decayed by time.
A human telephone booth reclaimed by the forest shimmered in the pale light. Rusted metal overgrown with weeds and vines strangled it firmly. She was huddled inside, in the corner on the ground, vines snaking across her feet as she shivered.
I slid open the door to the phone booth and crouched in the entrance. Pulling off my cloak, I threaded it around her trembling shoulders, then rubbed some warmth back into her frozen arms.
Whatever had spooked her, frightened her still. "Let's get you out of here," I said. I wrapped her up in my arms as she buried her face in my chest.
"I feel s-sick," she stammered.
"Shh," I said, holding her tightly against me. "It’s going to be all right. I’m here now."
"How long?" She shuddered against me, her voice barely a whisper. "How long until this nightmare ends?"
I leaned my chin against the top of her head, briefly closing my eyes. "Not much longer."
****
I POINTED TOWARD THE cloudy horizon. "Tilak's cabin is not far from here. We can rest there for the night."
Her brow quirked. "Is your friend waiting there?
"I doubt it." I'd sent Sylos out for horses, and he would not have yet returned. We'd be alone.
"Umm, that has bad idea written all over it," she said, her eyes narrowing.
I cracked a slight smile, though I wasn't amused. "You're not quite yourself, Warrior Princess."
"Stop calling me that."
"And, I'm not letting you out of my sight."
She folded her arms, tilting her head back to meet my eyes. "I'm not spending the night in a cabin in the woods with you, Zanthiel."
"You think the two of us together in a slovenly Dwarf hole makes for a dangerous combination?"
"Yes. I do. Considering..."
Considering the kiss. I did not need to speak the words and neither did she. It was what we both were thinking.
"We can stand here and argue this." I squinted up at the threatening skies. "But this might not be the best place for it."
Her eyes followed my gaze, taking in the riotous storm clouds. At that moment, the heavens split apart with a thunderous crack, and a frosty concoction of hail and sleet began to fall.
She shook her head, conceding to Mother Nature's cruel sense of timing. Icy rain dripped down her face as she threw me her coldest glare, then blew out a frustrated sigh.
"Let's go," I said, taking her elbow to jog toward the hill.
She pulled back. "All right, I'll go," she said. "But I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."
I cracked a devious smile, and leaned close enough to hear her breath catch. "The very words I hope to hear from the lips of every girl I bring home for the night."
We slipped inside the front door just as the skies doubled their efforts and unleashed a torrential flood of icy rain, sparked by bolts of lightning.
Lorelei peeled off my dripping cape and handed it to me. My eyes skimmed over her. Her face was no longer pale and sunken, and her heart was beating normally.
"You're soaking wet. And half-frozen. There's a change of clothing by the hearth."
"I'm f-fine," she insisted. Her lips quivered from cold. "Anyway, you still haven't told me what you’re planning."
I looked her over again. "I will. But it's hard to concentrate, when you look like that."
She glanced down at the soaking wet shift clinging to her body, and her cheeks flushed. "You're unbelievable." She brushed past me on her way to the water closet. "You know, we could just pluck out your eyes and give them to Fawna. She's pretty fond of them, and that would totally solve your distraction issues," she muttered.
When she emerged, she was dressed in a peasant gown that barely skimmed her knees, and the straps of her camisole peeked through the neckline. The gown was made for a Dwarven female, and they were a fair bit shorter than she was. It was a drab, faded, threadbare garment, and she still looked like an angel standing before me.
She spread open her hands. "Okay, distraction gone."
Was she serious?
"You're free to tell me everything now." Her gaze was trained on mine as she finger-combed through the damp curls of her hair.
I scratched my eyebrow with my knuckle, then frowned. "It's late. I think what I have to tell you would be best left for morning. When we can both think clearly." I forced a yawn, then tugged my wet shirt up over my head and tossed it next to the roaring fire.
Her eyes trailed down my torso to the damp pants hanging low on my waist. Water dripped from the ends of my hair, rolling down my cheek and onto my bare chest. She bit down on her lip, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Then she looked away, fiddling with her earlobe. "I, uh, guess we should get some sleep then," she said, carefully avoiding me as she doused the candles next to the bed.
"You seem nervous." Amusement slipped into my voice.
"Not in the least."
"You do know you are a terrible liar, don't you?” I smirked. “Must be the witch in you."
She surveyed the room, taking in every detail. "How long has it been since Tilak lived here?"
I shrugged. A Dwarf who owned over twenty homes was not someone whose habits I could guess at. I ran a finger over the dusty counter—not for a while I would guess.
"Why on earth does he need so many houses?"
"Do I look like I know what goes on inside the mind of a Dwarf? Regardless, I think we'll be fine here for the night."
Her gaze slid to the bed, then back to me.
I stared at her. Hard. Daring her to match my intensity with her own. "Something wrong?" I asked, holding her gaze.
Her lashes shielded her eyes as she looked at the ground. "Nothing's wrong."
"I can taste that lie from all the way over here." I gave a half-smile. "Your words say all is fine, and yet your body tells a different tale."
Her eyes lifted to mine, and her brows arched. "Perhaps it’s because my body isn't used to being spontaneously kissed by a Shadow Fey. One who's supposed to be my—"
"Your friend," I finished her thought.
She looked away again, suddenly uncertain.
I felt for her thoughts, but they were hard to decipher. Her emotions were as jumbled as the tangle of thoughts running rampant in her head.
She raised her brows in silent question as she eyed the sleeping arrangements again.
"You can take the bed." I gestured toward the rough, gray woolen blanket covering the tree-stump base. "I'll sleep on the floor."
She glanced down at the earthen ground beneath our feet, and for a moment I could see she was reconsidering her decision.
To ease her conscience, I reassured her. "It's fine, Lorelei. I have slept in far worse places." Then I walked into the water closet to splash cold water over my face.
The storm rattled the roof well into the night, threatening to pull the wooden boards from their rusty nails. Icy drops of water dripped on my forehead, rousing me from sleep in the middle of the night. I sat up to find Lorelei awake, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Her even breathing filled the space between us, reminding me of how close we were. The shift she'd been wearing was draped over the end of the bed. I didn't want to think about what she was or was not wearing under the woolen blanket covering her. Instead, I eavesdropped on her unguarded inner monologue, smiling to myself.
...every girl he brought home for the night. No kidding. I bet there were a lot of them. Abby for one. I mean he's a Shadow Fey. Desire pretty much oozes from every obnoxiously perfect inch of him. And seriously, do the Fey lift weights or what? Whatever. I mean...it has to be a really long list of girls...
"Not as long as you might think," I said aloud.
Her thoughts froze for a moment, before she rolled onto her side, away from me. She didn't respond, but before her eyes drifted closed, I could feel her smile.