Page 71 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Gray followed behind her, the distance between them causing a sharp pain where their mate bond would be. "Please, let me help you," he almost whispered, needing to take care of her. Desperate to find a way to ease the disappointment she was feeling. He understood what she wanted, what she was feeling. He did. But it didn’t change the fact that there was no scenario where he was willing to let her die. Anything else that she could ask for, he would give to her. Anything at all, he would find a way. But not this. Not death.

Gray picked up a towel and reached to dry her hair, but she placed a palm firmly against his chest, holding him back. "I want all of you, Gray. Not just whatever part you’re willing to share," she whispered before walking back into the bedroom, leaving him alone in a sea of shadows.

Chapter 48

Erik

Erikhadjustfinishedbathing when he heard a tentative knock. Intuitively, as if her soul called to his, he knew exactly who it was. Hurrying to the door, he opened it in one swift motion, enjoying the warmth that crept into Janelle’s cheeks as her eyes stared down at the towel slung low around his waist.

"I… I just wanted to…" She cleared her throat. "But I can see your body.Busy. I can see you’rebusy." Janelle slapped her palm against her forehead. "Fuck me, I’m gonna go now."

Erik grabbed Janelle’s wrist and stopped her as she turned, pulling her forward into the room. "It’s just a towel, Janelle," he teased. "If it bothers you that much, I’m happy to take it off." He reached for the corner of the soft fabric.

"Nope. No. That’s perfectly fine." Janelle squeezed her arms against her sides as she looked around at his room. Itwasa great room, very peaceful. Maybe not exactly his style, with all the driftwood and light blue fabric—and why were there so many damn pillows? Actually, now that he thought about it, every room in this wing was designed the same—same bed, same table, same rug. So why was she examining it so closely when she’d just come from her own identical one?

Her hair was wet, and she wore borrowed clothes in the style of Calir’s dress that hugged her body perfectly. The long skirt draped nearly to the floor and had a slit up the front almost to her hip, its violet hue accenting the tips of her purple hair. The top she wore was cropped, showing a sliver of skin around her belly button.

Erik should have expected the way his cock twitched at seeing her. He should have prepared himself. The clothing here was far less modest, a necessity with how hot it was in Calir during the middle of summer, but still, he hadn’t expected to feel quite likethis. It was as if he was a teenager again, unable to control his body when a girl so much as looked his way.

"Did you need something?" Erik asked thickly, trying to swallow down his desire. Was that what this was? Simply desire? His body craving to touch and taste and explore every inch of Janelle’s pale skin?

"Oh, it’s nothing. I just got bored." Janelle waved her hands around as if trying to convince them both that was the reason she had knocked. "Emma’s sleeping. Poor thing used all of her energy speaking to the dead. She's okay, though," she bumbled. "She was so still, so I held a mirror in front of her nose to make sure she was still breathing."

"I’m glad she’s resting." Erik tried not to laugh at how nervous Janelle appeared. Did seeing his bare chest make her as uneasy as him seeing her pale midriff? "Once we start training, we’ll need to identify if her magic is of the day or night. That'll let us know the best way to help re-energize her."

"Do you think we should wake her before we meet with King Tanad?"

"I think Emma’s gifts lie more in empathy and communication than war and battle strategy. We’ll be discussing the best way to kill people swiftly and efficiently so we can end this war. I’m not sure that’s what she needs to be hearing right now." Erik felt a familiar sting of pity for Emma. He couldn’t imagine having a power so emotionally draining. "I’ll have someone bring dinner to her room."

"Yeah, sure. Good idea." Janelle shuffled her feet awkwardly.

"Do you want to come to the meeting, or would you rather stay in and rest?"

"Oh, if you think for a second that I will be missing out on the action, you are sorely mistaken, giant man."

"Giant man?" Erik laughed deeply. "That’s the best you can come up with?"

"Oversized rat?" Janelle raised her eyebrows.

"I think I'm more predator than rodent, don't you?" Erik raised his hands, which were glowing with red and orange fire.

"Hmmm…" She tapped her chin. "Bottomless pit," she said with a hint of a smile.

"Well, absolutely, but I don’t consider that an insult as much as an observation. It’s hard being this strong and manly. I need the protein." Erik extinguished his flames and winked at her as he flexed his arms. He spent hours a day training. Push-ups and pull-ups, sparring, and sword fighting. Even hauling large rocks back and forth across the dungeons to build up his endurance. His muscles had never been so defined, and Erik knew Janelle had noticed based on the way she chewed on the side of her lower lip and skirted her eyes away as his biceps bulged with his arm movement.

Erik and Janelle’s time in the Wicked Wood on a horse together had changed things between them. Where before it had been a casual flirtation, Erik now found himself thinking about Janelle almost constantly. And not in the, "Is she trying to steal something from me right now?" way. He wasn’t sure when that shift had happened, but it had. And now? He couldn’t stop it.

He persistently thought about what Janelle might be feeling or needing, perseverating on if she was cold or nervous, and how he could help her. And despite his best efforts, he wondered what she thought ofhim. Their conversation before the nabis attack told him enough to know that her relationship with sex and intimacy was casual. She’d acted like she had never been in love before, never been hurt before, but Erik suspected that was just another thick layer of Janelle‘s emotional armor.

Armor he was determined to chink through bit by bit, but for now, he worried that trying to push any sort of relationship—No. Not even a relationship, but the idea of anything deep, anythingreal, troubled her. If she were to pull away, Erik didn’t think his heart could take it.

Janelle had hinted she was only comfortable with the physical, but the way her body sang to his, he was certain that once they opened that door, he would never be content with just being friends—with or without the benefits.

Erik was a warrior. His life has been devoted to a cause higher than his own, but he was still a man. And he considered himself a good one. He had no interest in casual sex, though he had partaken in it before. His father had used women. As had Gray’s father, and he had no interest in following in their footsteps. What he wanted was to find someone he loved, and make them his world.

He’d enjoyed it then, but with Janelle, he needed more.This thief is going to steal my heart,he thought. "Gods. That was disgusting," Erik mumbled under his breath. When had he become so sappy?

"What was that?" Janelle asked.

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