Page 45 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Janelle glanced at Lea, taking in her tired eyes and frizzy hair. It was obvious that she hadn’t slept much last night. She’d tried to hide her wide yawns and heavy eyelids when they had all woken to see the fire still going, but Janelle knew that her friend would never admit that her success was not only from her growing magical abilities, but also from her persistence to protect the people she loved.

Lea had always been like that. To a fault, she had made reckless decisions in order to take care of her family and friends. Since her mother‘s death, she’d deprived herself of sleep, driving herself to near insanity with her persistence in trying to master the moonflowers. One time during that year, when her father had failed to come home again, she’d tried to journey through the mountains north toward Woodhurst with only herself as company. She didn’t even pause to consider that she likely would have died in those mountains had Thomas not gone to stop her.

Lea’s impulsive actions came from a good place. After all, they only had each other. Their little village was all they had ever let themselves think about. Maybe Janelle should have known she had magic. Maybe Lea had set them all down a dangerous path by choosing to save Thomas in such a headstrong and reckless manner. But they were young, and their world had been small.

It might be unrealistic, but Janelle could only hope that Lea would accept that they were a team. It was no longer up to her alone to carry the burden of protecting others. She had a mate for that now, along with friends who had proved to her that they wouldn’t continue to allow her to try to save the day alone. If Lea went down, Janelle fully intended to go down with her.

Janelle brushed her teeth with a small piece of birch, then chewed on some fresh mint Erik had packed in his satchel before they left. She was riding with him again today, and though she now felt more comfortable and steady on a horse, she still didn’t think she’d be able to control one herself should trouble arise. At a slow trot, she’d be fine. But at a reckless gallop? She’d likely be killed.

It wasn’t just the fact that she wasn’t prepared for that kind of action on a horse, or that they didn’t have another horse for her to ride that made her feel so comfortable traveling with Erik. Something else made her want to ride with him—a warmth that seemed to surround her and buzz along her skin as he sat behind her. She felt like she was in a bubble, calm and happy, despite the fact that so much danger lurked around them.

If Janelle was being honest, when she’d shown up at the palace—another impulsive decision made by a girl from Bearswillow—she’d had one singular focus: find her friend and get her home. But she couldn’t help but feel now like it had been fate.

These people? She would die for any of them. Though Gray did drive her insane with his protective mate bullshit.

"What are you thinking about?" Erik asked, his breath tickling her ear as he placed a hand on her thigh and patted her knee.

Janelle’s skin warmed, her heart stuttering as she subconsciously shifted away. She wasn't sure why she did it. Erik was handsome enough, burly and scruffy in a way that made her feel like he’d be able to build her a house with his bare hands. That smile of his was infectious, and she had to admit that it felt good whenever he cracked a joke and her lips tipped up in amusement. But Janelle wasn’t good with affection, and if there was one word she could think of to describe Erik, it was affectionate. Not just in the physical sense, though he was far more touchy than anyone else she’d ever met. He had a habit of really making someone feel seen, important. It was like his warm demeanor wrapped you in a bear hug and forced you to feel special, and honestly, it was terrifying.

"I’m thinking about how suffocating your friend up there is being with his new wife." Janelle pushed the thoughts away, uncomfortable with the way her stomach was twisting in knots. "I feel like we’re all walking on eggshells to not piss him off. He almost took my head off earlier when I approached him and Lea from behind."

"Ah. You’re not wrong," Erik said. "I warned him about this, you know. That if they didn’t forge the mate bond, he’d become irrational. A danger to others."

"They need to just seal it already. They never stop touching each other. Can’t you enchant a little love grove for them, so they can do the deed? Genuinely, it’s disgusting," Janelle said, wrinkling her nose.

Itwasdisgusting, but something about seeing them together made Janelle the tiniest bit jealous. Of course, she was happy for her friend. But seeing someone look at her with such all encompassing love and adoration?

Erik sometimes looked at her differently. It wasn’t the mixture of thinking she hung the moon and that she was also made of incredibly fragile glass that Gray looked at Lea with. But it wassomething. Maybe. Or maybe it was in her head.

It didn’t matter either way. Janelle never needed anyone else to make her feel like a complete person. And yet, wouldn’t it be nice if, at a minimum, she had a partner to help her do damage control for the stupid decisions her best friend made?

"I don’t know…" Erik pondered, a strange look crossing his face. "Over the top? Sure. If they would just make love under their elements, it would take the edge off. He’d still protect her, of course, but there would be more thought behind his actions. It would be less of an impulse, far more calculated. Still, I think it’s a beautiful thing that the gods have blessed them as mates. It gives me hope."

"Make love? Beautiful thing?" Janelle teased. "I think these woods are making you soft."

"Don’t be fooled, Janelle." He wrapped an arm around her waist and shifted closer to her, his cock thick and hard against her hip. "My words might be soft, but I have absolutely no problem getting hard."

Janelle’s cheeks warmed. She never blushed. Ever. But his words sent something straight into her core that set her entire body on fire. It was stupid, honestly. He was Fae. She was a human who hadn’t bathed in days. Her blonde hair was growing roots, her purple hair fading to the edges.

But there was no denying what she felt against her backside, the proof of his desire. For sex, at least. He needed release. They’d been in the woods for days, and Janelle understood better than anyone the need to scratch an itch. Why not do it with her?

Except they were surrounded by people. And not only surrounded by people, but by demons and monsters and things that wanted to eat them alive. Nothing could happen.For now…a voice said in her head.

"Shut up," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Erik asked.

"Nothing," Janelle said, continuing to look straight ahead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want something to happen with Erik, but she wasn’t sure she did, either. With other men she’d been with, she’d always known exactly what the extent of their interaction would be. A hook up. A casual fling. Thinking about crossing that line with Erik made her feel as if she was standing on the very edge of the cliff, trying to decide if jumping would be the thrill of her life, or the absolute death of her.

As if sensing her thoughts, Erik shifted back again, resuming their ride as if no tension had passed between them at all.

"Have you ever been in love?" The words left Janelle‘s lips without her permission, but sitting so close to Erik, watching Gray and Lea and how much they loved each other, she had to know.

"I thought I was, when I was younger. The way I suspect most people feel when they first kiss someone, or the first time they explore someone else’s body."

Jealousy twisted in her gut. The thought of him exploring another girl's body made her physically sick. But he was charming. And kind. She had no doubt that girls fell over each other trying to get to him.

"They weren’t important," Erik said, his voice soothing. "They didn’t challenge me. I suspect many of them wanted me for my position. Second to the Night Prince. There’s an allure in having that much power. In having the future king’s ear."

---