Page 28 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

"We’re going to the cavern!Thatis what wehaveto do!" A snarl left Gray’s throat as he held her closer, refusing to let go, his chest rising and falling as frustration pulsed through the bond.

"Gray…" Erik warned, raising his hands out in front of him. "Now is not the time. We talked about this. You said you’d be prepared."

Lea looked back up at the sky, but her focus remained on Gray and Erik’s conversation.What is Erik talking about?

Gray’s fingers tightened around Lea’s arm and leg, squeezing so hard it was as if he worried she would disappear if he didn’t hold her close enough. Tension radiated off his skin, mixing with something fiery and furious that she couldn’t quite identify.

"Let me have her, Gray. Take a walk." Erik maintained eye contact with him, stepping forward with his arms outstretched. "We can discuss this when you’ve calmed down."

Gray took several slow, shaking breaths before speaking in deliberate, staccato sentences. "Make Azalea a fire and a pallet to lie on. Emma," he snapped, his rapid breathing causing his nostrils to flare, "I’d like you to stay close to her. Let me know if she starts to feel wrong to you. Sick again, or tired. Anything that seems different at all, you will find me."

Emma nodded. "Of course. She feels stronger now, but I agree. She needs to rest."

Gray thanked her gruffly before turning to Janelle and Noah. "I’d like you to come with me. We will do a sweep of the area and assess for threats to ensure it is safe for Azalea to recoup before we return to—" he cleared his throat and rolled his neck and shoulders—" before we discuss the next steps."

Lea worried about the argument that was about to ensue, that her headstrong friend would tell Gray to go fuck himself and that she was not his soldier to boss around.

"Let me know when you’re ready to go," Janelle said instead, discreetly winking at Lea before going to help Erik build a soft pallet. Emma patted Lea’s knee before stepping a few feet away, giving them some privacy. Lea’s nerves faded enough for her to breathe deeply, but that hum of worry and anger still circulated around her heart, a steady stream of powerful emotions surging from the bond.

Looking up, she took in the desperation on Gray’s face. Dark purple bruises shadowed his eyes, and his tangled hair was haphazardly pulled into a bun. She traced the lines bracketing his mouth, his lips turned down into a frown. Needing to soothe them away, she placed her palm against his cheek, and he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. "I’m okay," she reminded him gently.

Through the bond, Lea felt Gray try to suppress the surge of primal need that flooded through him—the fiery urge to take her away and hide her from the world.

"You almost died, Azalea. Donottell me that you’re okay," Gray whispered heatedly, almost brokenly. "If you won’t take this seriously, I will chain you to my side and drag you back to Bearswillow. I promised you I would keep you safe. Donotforget that I keep my promises."

Lea’s mouth cracked open, but she had no words. Grayhadpromised her that, and she knew how he felt about keeping his word. But there were more important things in life than being safe. Every fiber of her being was certain she needed to follow the stars, that something important was waiting for her wherever they led. But the absolute grief and terror on his face over what had almost happened—it caused a painful lump to settle in Lea’s throat. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him, to add even one more line of worry to his rugged, handsome face.

"Go, Gray." Erik appeared at their side, holding his arms out toward Lea. "Go patrol the area. Calm down."

Tensing, Gray bared his teeth at his friend. "Are youmycommander now?" he growled.

"No. But I'm the only one here with sense at the moment. And I'm the only person you've ever been able to trust unconditionally. If you want to do what's best for her, then allow her to rest, and go calm down."

Taking several steadying breaths, Gray shoved past Erik without a word and tenderly placed Lea down on a soft pallet of furs next to the crackling fire, pulling a thick wool blanket snugly around her shoulders and bending down to kiss her hair.

"We’re not done with this conversation, Azalea," he said gravely before turning and stalking through the trees, calling sharply for Janelle as he retreated.

Lea watched in awe as he trudged away, his heavy steps causing the trees to tremble as shadows seeped out from him in every direction. The night around her lightened a bit as he left, as if the sun was beginning to rise, but Lea knew it was just her husband’s rage calling the darkness to him that caused her to be able to see more easily.

Husband, The word brought a lightness to her soul that she wouldn’t think possible after being so close to death. But it was true. She was alive, and married to her mate. The other half of her soul. Lea placed a hand to her chest where her necklace laid, smoothing the black piece of star Gray had gifted to her with her tired fingers.

As the wind softly blew through the clearing again, the crickets resuming their chirping and the frogs beginning their nightly song, Erik’s shoulders relaxed. He turned to her, giving her a beaming smile as he came to sit at her side.

Noah cleared his throat. "If you’re okay, I think I’ll gather some firewood? Give you some time to talk. Or… I don't know. Rest." He raised his eyebrows in question.

Erik tilted his head, but nodded before turning back to Lea. "Now that he’s your husband, you’ll have to learn how to handle him. I’ll teach you," Erik teased.

"I’m not sure he’s the kind of Fae that can behandled, Erik. But you can teach me how to try. What’s happening? He’s so furious. I can still feel his rage through the bond, but he needs to listen to me. Wehaveto go through the woods. I’ve never been more sure of anything."

"I agree with your crazy plan, for once." Erik sat beside her on the cold ground, stretching his hands out toward the fire for warmth. "Gray’s not angry with you. He’s not himself, Sunshine. Not right now."

"Because he’s the Eclipsed King?" Lea questioned nervously, wringing her hands. It would be quite the burden to lead a rebellion against your own family, to feel a personal responsibility for the safety of all of your followers.

"No. Gray’s the same man as the Eclipsed King as he was when you knew him as the Commander, or Gray, or Evander. It’s the mate bond that’s making him act erratic." Erik pulled a knife and a shiny pink apple from his coat pocket and began to cut large chunks off, popping them in his mouth. "It hasn’t been sealed."

"It hasn’t been sealed the entire time I’ve known him. Why would that make him any different now?" Lea asked.

"Because now you’ve both acknowledged the bond, confessed your love. You were in grave danger, and your connection sensed that. A Fae male can become…" Erik paused, scrunching his face a bit as he considered his words, "possessive, irrational. The stronger the bond gets, the more intense the need to protect your mate becomes. Gray might think he is above that risk, but he's no different from any other Fae male."

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