Page 53 of Oath of Revenge

He wagged his thick eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair. “That I did. You should always be wet for me, bunny.”

She swallowed hard, her stomach twisting at the race of heat through her body. It was too intense, whatever this was between them. She had to focus on the mission at hand.

She blinked away from him and pointed. “Take the squirrels while I gut and string the fish up to cook.”

He sat in the dirt and took the two sticks skewered with meat, holding them over the fire. Was he treating her as an equal warrior because he believed she was? Was that why he’d listened to her suggestions and opinions today, or did he see her solely as a sexual conquest like most of the human men she’d been with? He definitely saw her as a piece of ass, but he kept saying it was so much more than just sex. And she was starting to believe that too. The connection they’d had today had surprised her.

As she sliced the fish, her stomach twisted at being both respected and objectified. As he sat there semi-naked, she struggled with her own conflicting feelings towards nudity—a concept so different from her upbringing. She forced herself to look away from his semi-hard dick.

They came from two different worlds. It would never work… not that she wanted it to. Despite her attraction to him, she wondered if their differences would ultimately cause more harm than good in their relationship.

Gods, what was she thinking? They didn’t have a relationship, despite what he said about being mates. It had to be a ploy of some sort, and she was determined to figure out why even if it meant interviewing every Growler in his tribe.

She deftly wove the coil of twine through the mouth and out the gills, laying the twine down the slit of the body. She handed him one end, then stepped around the fire to stretch the fish across it.

Then they sat staring at each other, the silence settling between them full of tension.

Could she be his mate? For just a moment, she let herself imagine it. If it was just the two of them like this, it would be rather fun. Hunting, camping, working together to survive.

“What are you thinking?” His voice was soft, but she refused to look up into his golden eyes.

She kept her gaze trained on his shoulders. So wide, like he could carry the weight of the world without even trying. It’d been a long time since anyone had shared her burdens.

She sighed and checked the fish. “I’m thinking about my dad, actually. He would’ve loved this.”

“Eating fish and squirrel?” His brows raised as he glanced down at the pitiful meal. It didn’t look tasty, but the smell of smoke and roasting meat made her mouth water.

She chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, he was a Ranger, the best in the land. When I was about ten, I started going with him. We’d camp like this, working together, talking about nothing and everything.”

Her voice trailed off, and she looked up, trying to count the stars in the sky and keep her emotions locked up tight.

“Tell me about him. What was your earliest memory?” His wistful look made a crack in her armor, a crack that caused her mouth to open and stories to spill out.

While the meat roasted over the fire, Wulfric watched the light dance across Scarlet’s face. She was gorgeous, and he grew very aware that he was naked. He pulled his shirt over his lap as he checked the skewers.

She stared into the flickering flames and told stories of her childhood. Many of them made him laugh, but there was an air of sadness to them too. Like she wasn’t used to sharing the memories and ached to talk about them.

He definitely understood how she felt. He wanted to tell her stories of his own, but the memories wouldn’t come. No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t seem to have the keys to remembering.

So he sat back and listened, asked her questions when needed. The memories would come or they wouldn’t, and all he could do was wait. He handed her the bigger skewer of meat.

“And that’s how Knox came to have that scar on his eyebrow.” She bit into the squirrel and wiggled her nose as she chewed. His bunny might have grown up in the woods with a Ranger and a druid, but she didn’t like the tough food.

He must remember that. If it came down to it, he would ply her belly full of more than just his cock. The delicious food from the tribe could be a powerful weapon in his favor. Anything to keep her with him.

Proximity would probably help. He shifted to sit next to her, settling the fish on his thighs between them. The shirt remained draped over his hips, as it seemed to make her more relaxed than when he was naked.

He liked her relaxed, liked hearing her stories and learning of her family. The dragon could be a powerful ally… that is, if he didn’t outright attack when they met.

Wulfric pushed the thoughts aside. No sense worrying about it now.

He tore into his own food, the smell wafting over him and making his mouth water. Meat was meat, as far as his wolf was concerned. They passed the canteen of water between them as they ate, the silence stretching easily.

Finally he asked, “Why did the dragon come to get the druid yesterday?”

Scarlet swallowed a bite and said, “Knox’s wife is due to deliver her first egg any day now. They needed Grandma’s help, which is why I was sent to fetch her. Apparently, I wasn’t fast enough, so Knox came to get her.”

Deliver an egg? A baby?

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