Page 53 of The Great and Terrible

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” I rubbed my lips together. “Will the Guardian seek to kill me for my lineage?”

“I don’t know. Could he strike at you? Yes. Could he welcome you with open arms? Yes. Is a strike more likely? Also yes. He takes extreme measures to prevent storms.” A heavy pause. “Does this alter your plans to visit Lux City?”

“No. This isn’t my world. I want to go home.” But honestly? I wasn’t as eager to part with my guide. Jasher had kind of grown on me.

“And if I’m the one ordered to kill you?” Ferocity glazed his features, torching any hint of blankness. “I told you about the only girl I’ve ever loved. She developed a crimen, and I was forced to end her life to save a town.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Do not force me to end yours, too.”

My chest squeezed with compassion. And hope. Had he just admitted to developing feelings for me? “That must have been terrible for you, Jasher.”

“Yes, princess, it was.” Without the mask, he couldn’t hide his emotions. In those sunset irises I saw incredible pain, endless rage…and budding desire.

Tremors cascaded over my spine. “I won’t let you decapitate me. I’ll fight.”

He arched a brow, slightly amused. “You think you can stop me?”

“I do.” Emboldened, I stepped closer to him. So close I breathed his breath and shared my own. Desperate for true contact, I flattened my non-bandaged palm on his chest. His heart raced, proving I influenced him, and the knowledge was heady. “Because you’re going to give me self-defense lessons.”

“Is that so?” He rested his big, calloused hands on my hips. “What will I get in return?”

“More trouble, probably.” My gaze dropped to his lips. How soft, how soft? “What do you want?”

A slow smile spread, and I felt as if I’d won a great battle already. “I want you to stop filling my head with ideas I shouldn’t entertain. I want you to cease surprising me. I want you to not look at me with those stunning hazel eyes, making me feel things I shouldn’t. I want you…safe. Always.”

Head spinning.

“Your lessons begin in the morning,” he said, sliding his thumbs along my pantyline.

My heart raced in time to his. “Thank you.”

He pressed his forehead to mine, a shockingly intimate pose. “For now…”

“Yes?” I whispered.

“We have a visitor,” he finished with a wry tone, lifting his head.

“There you are,” Leona called.

Dang it! I had hoped, well, it didn’t matter now.

“Your creature is growing,” the mayor grumbled, “and I need you to be with me when he wakes up and decides to snack on my liver.”

Her whine grated. “The. Worst,” I grumbled right back.

We returned to the campsite. And yes, Nugget looked as though he’d doubled in size again. “How big is he going to get?” I asked, settling beside my darling to stroke his fur.

“Huge,” Jasher and Leona said in unison.

She rubbed her hands together. “Another cookie wouldn’t be amiss.”

We ignored her. The mushroom clusters illuminated the campsite more than the clearing, ensuring the surrounding gloom never snuffed out the fire as the executioner cleaned vegetables, plucked leafy greens from the root, and removeda pot and bowls from within a hidden compartment in a tree trunk.

“What—how,” I stuttered.

“My brothers and I come here a lot.” As water heated over the fire, he peeled and sliced the vegetables. It wasn’t long before a tantalizing aroma filled the air.

“And he cooks too,” I muttered. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“There is, yes.” His eyes landed on my lips, and his lids sank low, hooding.

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