Page 106 of A Dagger in the Ivy

I bite back a laugh. “You need rest. We both do.”

“My bed’s big enough for the two of us.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll sleep on the couch. We don’t know if we’ve been followed, and I have a better shot at fighting off the enemy if I’m out here.”

“As you wish, Commander.” He shifts to stand but freezes instantly and clenches his teeth.

I rush to his side. “Let me help you.”

I lean into him and hang his arm over my shoulders.

“I could convince you to, you know?” he says as he gets to his feet. His steps are careful, his body a bit stiff.

“Convince me to what?”

“To share my bed.”

“You mean use your siren powers on me.”

His eyes are hooded, and his lips are curled into a smirk. “Or simply my charm.”

“And I could dig my fingers into your wound, rip the stitches right out.”

He scoffs, but his smile remains. “That mouth.”

We enter his room, draped in darkness, and I manage to settle him onto the armchair. I crouch down and remove his boots, setting them aside.

“Don’t forget my trousers,” he says.

I can’t read his expression in the dark, but he must sense my hesitation.

“I’m not about to ruin my sheets with this mud.”

I press my lips together. “Fine.”

I unbutton his trousers, and a flash of heat courses through me. He winces when he lifts his body enough for me to slide his trousers down, and I force myself to avert my gaze when his underwear comes with them. With my eyes locked with his, he gives me an amused smirk.

I make a point to keep my focus above his shoulders as I assist him in standing and shifting to the bed, but the feel of his solid, muscular body leaning on me feels so welcoming, it’s a battle to stick to my plan.

Once he’s covered with the duvet, I take a step back. He settles, letting out a small grunt, but the wincing has diminished.

“I’m going to start a fire and hang our clothes near the hearth,” I say, barely able to make out his features in the dark. “I’ll leave the door open. Call out if you need anything.” I turn and head for the bedroom door.

“I do have a heart, you know,” he says just as I’m about to step into the hall. “Perhaps I hadn’t realized it myself, until you showed up at the castle.”

My breath hitches. There’s a fluttering in my stomach that almost makes me return to his side. “The brandy’s made you delirious. Get some rest.”

Before he can respond, I quickly turn away and escape to the couch, but I’m not certain I’ll be able to sleep with his words burning in my mind.

My mother’s dagger slices into my chest. A thundering erupts in my heart, and a tingling sensation flows through me until it shrinks to the spot I was stabbed and disappears. My eyes pop open, my body flooded with adrenaline from the nightmare.

Fog surrounds me, obscuring my vision. A chill shudders through me, making my teeth rattle.

Shit.Ezra’s powder was ruined when Dante and I hid in the muddy swamp, and with the situation with Torbin exacerbating my anxiety, my night wandering has led me out into the middle of nowhere. I can’t see where I am, and I don’t know which way will lead me back to Dante’s manor.

A howl fills the air, making me whip around. The only thing I can make out in the heavy mist is a faint, golden glow.

I wrap my arms around myself, holding the material of Dante’s shirt tighter against my body.

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