Page 27 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

I abruptly felt tired again as I turned away from him, giving him my back as I looked at Pyrope. She shifted excitedly, eager for my attention, and I could not help reaching out to run my fingers through her soft, red fur as her tail beat against the ground.

I trusted Sage, so I wasn’t sure why I even still felt an impulse to keep this from him except that it was a deeply ingrained habit for survival. I was afraid he might look at me as differently as everyone else did, but after the battle, there was no way to keep the truth from him for long.

“The only other person who could diffuse Rian—” Ciaran began again.

“We will talk about it later,” Sage interrupted him, attempting to respect my aversion to the conversation.

But they had my attention again, and I twisted around to look between the two males.

“No, tell me,” I blurted, and then snapped my mouth shut in embarrassment to have betrayed my interest.

Ciaran narrowed his eyes at me while Sage cocked his head with interest.

“Aodhan,” said Sage simply, although Ciaran glared at the back of his head. He would have tried to leverage the information for what they wanted to know about me.

I ignored him as I shook my head in dismissal of their revelation.

“But he was not…” I began, and then I trailed off.

“Was not what? Speak up!” Ciaran demanded of me impatiently, earning himself another glare from Sage.

This time I bristled and narrowed my eyes firmly on the other rider.

“I owe you nothing,” I assured him, the final word forced out between my teeth. “I saved your life in spite of yourveryrecent attempt to end mine so be thankful.”

Ciaran was shocked by my denunciation, but I turned to face the fire directly again. I slung my arms over my knees and pulled a blanket up like a hood over my head as if I could ward off their questions.

“Are you hungry?” Sage asked me, and he retrieved a cloth that had been folded around some purple berries when I nodded. “And you are cold,” he noted.

“I am always cold here,” I muttered, unable to curb the sharpness of my tone.

“Would you like me to come sit with you?” he offered, and I nodded, knowing how he would use that delicious fire magic of his to warm me.

Sage shifted forward to sit right behind me and next to Pyrope who nuzzled his arm. I allowed him to pull me closer between his legs and against his chest just like he did when we were riding. He entwined our fingers so he could warm my hands, and I melted back fully against him when I felt his warmth seeping into me. I drew my legs tight against my chest, so that I could be as close to him and the heat and safety he generated as possible.

“What is the plan?” Ciaran asked, sounding agitated. He was a male of action. He needed direction.

Sage had been thinking the same thing, I could tell by the way he breathed out a sigh against the blanket that was still tented around my head.

“In the morning, we will portal these people the rest of the way to the late season settlement up the mountain,” Sage began. “Then we should fly to the Aes Mirr to warn Eive and see if they can spare any aid. I think perhaps all the villages should be moved up the mountain together the way Darragh suggested weeks ago,” Sage admitted.

Ciaran snorted with amusement.

“The Sua will be stubborn about that. They will not easily abandon their lands,” he tried to warn Sage, but he seemed calmer now that he had a task to think about.

“Were our losses heavy?” I asked hesitantly, unsure if I even wanted to know the answer. My mind could not help conjuring all the names and faces of the aes sídhe I had grown to know in the village.

“They were… not as great as I feared they would be,” Sage assured me. I felt him press his head against mine in silent appreciation and acknowledgement of my efforts to defend and heal his people during the battle.

“Is someone on watch?”

“A rotation has been set for the night,” Sage answered with none of the cynicism with which Ciaran snorted at my question.Obviously I had not meant to insinuate that they were not capable, I was just orienting myself.

“And is your sister alright?”

“She is still in labour,” Sage told me, his voice tight with concern. “But I understand it is progressing well. Despite being a little early,” he added.

“I could help her. There were more injured fey—”

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