Page 77 of The Shadowbound King

But not tonight. Tonight, Mirella had bought him more time.

I moved without thinking, rounding the bed. Mirella turned at my approach.

“You healed Andrin,” I said.

“Yes,” she answered, wariness hovering in her eyes. They widened slightly when I stepped into her and brushed my forehead against hers.

She jolted…but she didn’t pull away. I brought my hands up slowly and then rested them on her shoulders. When she stayed where she was, I closed my eyes.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

Somewhere next to me, Ginhad spoke on a satisfied-sounding sigh. “This is the second time that’s happened tonight.”

Chapter

Nineteen

MIRELLA

Ikept my eyes open as Rane rested his forehead against mine. Maybe he was fine showing his vulnerability, but I wasn’t about to do the same.

When he pulled away, Ginhad was gone. I was alone with Andrin and Rane, but everything was different now, wasn’t it? Or maybe not. I was still their prisoner.

And my side burned from absorbing Andrin’s injury. Other discomforts joined the pinching, nagging pain. My feet ached, I hadn’t eaten in hours, and sweat clung to me like a second skin, leaving my scalp itching.

“I want a bath,” I blurted.

Both men’s eyes dropped to my chest.

“Alone,” I clarified, my face heating as Rane’s words from earlier rushed back:“I have a particular fondness for redheads. Andrin likes them, too.”

I clenched my jaw, the fire in my cheeks climbing a few degrees higher. “Actually, I’ll just return to my cage.”

Andrin’s scowl was immediate. “You’re not going back in the cage.”

Surprise jolted me. Then understanding dawned. Somethingwasdifferent. Me. Whatever thiswerekgift was, they believed it could be useful.

“You’re upgrading my sleeping arrangement?” I asked, glancing around. “What now, a mat on the floor?”

Andrin drew a long breath, and I got the sense he was marshaling patience. “I’d like to show you something,” he said at last. “Then you can have your bath.” He walked to a large armoire. “Alone,” he added over his shoulder.

He untied the sheet around his waist and let it drop, revealing long legs and a round, muscular backside. I averted my eyes, my gaze landing on Rane. He watched me intently, his sigils gleaming in the low light.

My skin tingled, memories of the thrusting, licking shadow quickening my pulse.

Andrin circled the bed barefoot, a pair of trousers slung low on his hips. His braid swung forward as he leaned over the lamp on the bedside table. He dimmed the flame, then came to me and drew me to the center of the room.

“Before we lost the Kree,” he said, “the Edelfen was a place of life and renewal.” He swept his arm in a wide arc.

The room around us shifted. Towering trees with red and gold leaves replaced the bedchamber walls. Instead of a beamed ceiling, a canopy of blue sky stretched overhead, sunlight filtering through the branches to cast playful shadows over the forest floor. Birds chirped as they darted from branch to branch.

“This is what the Edelfen used to be,” Andrin said softly.

Rane stepped closer, his eyes roaming the towering trees. A faint breeze stirred the leaves, casting dappled light across his face.

“There,” he murmured, pointing.

I followed his gaze. A tree stood apart from the others, its oversized leaves glinting with a familiarity that made me catch my breath.

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