Page 91 of A Trial of Fate

My animal’s power rose to the surface of my itching skin, and I knew my eyes were blazing with fire. I would not back down. I was not afraid of his power or a dance for dominance. After what I had been through, I was not afraid to meet his challenge—not one fucking bit.

A deep growl emanated from Daxton’s chest, and I didn’t tremble with fear like others in my situation would. Instead, a steady pulse of excitement and arousal stirred in my center. The challenge thrilled my animal, giving way to my shifter instincts to fight, and I was secretly loving every second of this.

“Don’t add insult to my injuries, Spitfire.” Daxton dropped his arms and moved to give me space, keeping his stone-cold eyes locked with mine. He wasn’t backing down, either.

“Speaking of injuries,” I added, tilting my head to the side with a whisper of a grin. “Get back into our cocoon. I’m not done healing you yet.” Daxton’s stormy stare didn’t even flinch, outright refusing me.

“Come on… get over here,” I protested, opening the blanket and inviting him back in.

Daxton didn’t utter a word as he stilled, not moving one inch. He glared at me like a kid who had just gotten picked on by a no-good-rotten bully.

Had I hurt his feelings by assuming he had a romantic relationship with the fae queen? What kind of fucked-up world were they living in? And why the hell had I volunteered to be thrown into this chaos? It was clear that life in the Inner Kingdoms was worse than I had ever imagined.

I softened my expression in an attempt to make amends and understand what he was feeling. “Did what I said… about—” Daxton tensed, and I only assumed it was in anticipation of hearing her name escape my lips. I suddenly realized that I had deeply wounded him with my assumption.Well, fuck.I felt like the lowest dung beetle in the hole.

“I’m sorry, Daxton,” I said softly, trying my best to empathize with the pain he was clearly feeling. “I misread the situation entirely. I realize you don’t owe any further explanation than you’ve already given me, but please know I am truly sorry for offending you.”

The room was deathly quiet for a long while. The fire crackled loudly in the hearth as time seemed to stand still. Without speaking, Daxton moved toward me, wrapped the blankets around us both, and relaxed his bare back against my chest. Once again, I encircled himwith my body and allowed my healing powers to flow into his chest.

The three of us sat in silence over the next few hours. I continued slowly healing Daxton, and to my relief, he was regaining his stamina and vigor.

“Can I get you anything, Skylar?” Castor asked from the opposite side of the room, smirking at the sound of my roaring stomach.

“I need to eat,” I answered. “It’s taking a lot of my energy to replace what was lost, and shifters have a naturally high metabolism.”

“Say no more. What would you like?”

“Anything… Everything you can find in the kitchens, please. But don’t trouble the staff if it can be helped.”

“How much longer will it take to heal my brother?”

“I don’t know.” I could feel Daxton getting stronger, but he was not out of the woods yet. I was trying to take my time and ensure I didn’t deplete my energy too quickly. This was a steady marathon and not a sprint.

“I’ll return soon then.” Castor casually slipped out of the room, leaving Daxton and me alone.

I wasn’t going to be the first one to speak. I had already apologized for unknowingly offending him… and I truly felt awful for what I had insinuated. But in my defense, he made that kiss look pretty damn realistic. I remember the sickening feeling when I looked up and saw them together. It felt wrong, like the world was turning upside down and the sky was now under my feet kind of wrong. I wanted to stand up and scream at the top of my lungs for them to stop.

“What’s the matter?” Daxton casually asked.

“What do you mean?” I unintentionally snapped at him. Reliving their kiss had made my tone harsher than I had intended.

Daxton curled his right hand around my knee, lightly tracing over the back of my leg before migrating down to my ankle. “I can feel your muscles clenching. You’re tense.”

Well, now I am tense for an entirely different reason.

“Somethingwason my mind, that’s all.” I hugged him a little tighter and pressed my cheek to the side of his head so he couldn’t turn his temple to look at me. I inhaled a deep breath to try and settle my frustrations, and Daxton’s scent of pine and cold mountain air tantalized my senses, calming and centering my thoughts back to this moment with him.

“Care to elaborate?”

“Do you care to elaborate?” I countered.

“I will if you do.”

Interesting idea. It only took me a second to agree, but I waited a few moments before answering him. “You got yourself a bargain, Princey.”

I felt him huff a single laugh. “I’ve warned you about that,” he growled, but I knew this one was all bark and no bite. “Very well, ladies first.”

“I’m not your typical lady,” I reminded him.

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