Page 136 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

I decided to put it out of my mind for the time being. There were far more pleasant things with which I wanted to concern myself at that moment.

Ciaran had taken my mother home for me after we spoke with Imogen, and Rian and Darragh had returned home to the encampment. Serafin and I were now leading Summer andPyrope to the place where I’d promised myanama bath, and I was becoming nervous about it.

I spied the steam rising from the snowy slope of the mountain below and followed it down to a ledge that was just big enough to accommodate the two vargr. The snow had melted around a crack in the rock through which I slid just as Summer landed behind me. I heard her curse about going underground again, but she clambered into the hole, accidently kicking snow down on me below.

I reached the bottom of the channel and removed my heavy cloak to sling it over a nearby rock while I waited inside the cavern for her to catch up. The brief blocking of the exit made the steam build up and moisture beaded in my hair and on my skin. But going ahead was worth it to see her face once she slid from the low tunnel entrance onto the ground and sat looking around.

“Whoa,” she breathed in astonishment, and I reached for her. She gave me her hand without looking up and allowed me to pull her to her feet.

“I thought you might appreciate it,” I laughed as I pulled her deeper into the cavern filled with warm steam rising from the pools of hot water. I removed my armour from her and sent it to its metaphysical home, leaving her in the heavy clothing that my mother had brought her.

“Are we really going to bathe here?” she verified in excitement when I stopped on the bank of the closest pool and dropped her arm.

“I am not going to intrude on your privacy,” I assured her as I began emptying my pockets of the soaps and oils I’d brought from home.

By the time I had turned back toward her, Summer was already peeling off her thick outer layer and carelessly dropping her clothes on the floor. I turned away again just before I saw theflash of her naked flesh in the corner of my eye, but it was still more than enough to trigger my body the way I’d feared it would.

I knew she was comfortable with her nudity, so I had debated getting in the water. But with the increasingly feral way I had been feeling around her, it seemed unwise to challenge my control. And it was clear to me now that those concerns were well founded.

I set the soaps and oils I’d brought on a rock where she would be able to reach them from the water. I could not help listening to the sound of the water splashing around her legs as she waded into the pool while I kept my eyes averted from her. But then she groaned, a sound of pure and visceral ecstasy, and it seemed to sing through me and ignite my blood with even more awareness.

Staying out of the water was definitely the right choice considering I hadn’t even looked at her, and my cock was already straining hard.

Keeping my eyes on the uneven floor under my boots, I walked over to a protrusion of rock to sit. When I finally risked looking up, she was waist deep in the water. Her red hair was loosened over the fawny skin of her back that was faintly striped with white markings. I could not seem to look away as she sank into the water with a sigh and then pivoted to face me. Her ears pressed down as she tipped back to wet her head.

“So what do you think of Rian’s plan?” she asked me once she had straightened again.

“I’m honestly not sure if it is brilliant or mad.”

“I always thought the best plans were a little of both,” she admitted with a half smile, gently squeezing along her furred ears the way someone might wring out their hair.

“You would want to see him march an army of Fuath on Uile Breithà? What happened to being diplomatic and preserving billions of lives?” I asked her.

“Thiswouldbe preserving lives. Fey lives. Obviously I would rather not unleash a Fauth invasion upon any living creature, so I still want to see us attempt negotiations first. But if you are right, and they refuse to listen, then we need to protect our courts and preserve the magic that will counteract the damage of their pollution,” she pointed out. “But I donotwant to see him march those monsters into battle with the Vale,” Summer stressed firmly.

“He will not do that. Not as long as there were fey to protect there,” I reassured her and then hesitated while I debated whether to fully enlighten her. “Summer, the truth is we really doknowhumans will not listen. Rian meant it when he claimed to favour diplomacy, but he always tries to be ready for anything. We have innumerable spies in Uile Breithà who have infiltrated human and nonhuman societies at every level to know our enemies completely. We have studied them for many years, so when our attack is finally launched, it will be a swift and fatal blow that will cripple them before they can mount any defense.”

She was unnerved but also strangely reassured by this revelation that we were so prepared.

“And have you attempted to speak to them directly?”

“Not directly, but both our subtle and overt efforts to encourage them to change their behaviour for the health of their people and the environment have all been thwarted. It is industry and greed that rule them,” I assured her.

Summer appeared to resign herself as she exhaled a heavy breath and nodded.

“I suppose it is not worth worrying over until we see if he can even convince the Fuath,” she said with a shrug.

“If anyone could do it, then it would certainly be Rian. His power is versatile, and he is resourceful.”

“Does he… Are there spies like that in the Vale too?” she asked me reluctantly. I held her eyes a moment before noddingsolemnly, and she nodded back. “Do you think that I could send a message to Amira through them and let her know I am safe and well?” she asked.

“Of course, I am sure that could be arranged.”

“I also wanted to ask what Rian meant when he said he didn’t need his gift in Kaldthjem. Why did the priests invite him to come analyze the slaughter?” she asked me. “What could hisgiftstell them about it exactly?”

I lowered my eyes to my hands, elbows bracing on my knees as I interlaced my fingers together.

“You will learn about it soon, so I suppose there is no harm in telling you, but Rian does not merely deconstruct magic and matter. He… consumes it. He can ingest magic and use it to fuel himself, or he can acquire new power by absorbing it. That is why we are able to create our portals. It is magic he took from someone else,” I admitted.

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