Page 115 of Until the Stars Fall

“He’ll be fine, Sapphire.” Even as I offered her the reassurance, though, I sent a plea up to the stars to keep him safe. As confident as I was in Matthias’s training, it did seem as though the rebels were always one step ahead of us in this gruesome dance, and we were merely stumbling along.

After another hour of traveling at a frustratingly slow pace, the trees thinned enough that we had room to let the horses graze. Hopefully soon we would find a spot for us to stretch out somewhat to sleep.

“Here,” I said quietly, and Evan, who was leading the way, halted and dismounted.

Lieke searched the trees on either side of us. “What is it? Why are we stopping?”

Giving Rosie an appreciative pat on the neck, I stepped down, slipping the reins over her head and walking her off the path. “Resting,” I answered, not looking up.

“For how long?” Lieke asked from her perch atop her mare.

I smirked up at her. “Scared?”

Her shoulders drooped as she huffed out a sigh. “Yes, actually. I am! We’re in the middle of this creepy forest. We left our friend with a bunch of decapitated bodies, and we don’t even know for sure that the killers aren’t lying in wait for us. So yes, scared seems appropriate, thank you.”

I cocked my head as I considered her, busying my hands with loosening Rosie’s girth strap. We would leave the horses saddled in case of trouble, but I could at least allow them to rest more comfortably overnight.

“Just for the night, Sapphire,” I said, pulling my pack down from behind my saddle. “We have another full day’s ride to get back to the palace, and I can’t have you falling off your horse when you succumb to exhaustion.”

“I’m not tired,” she said, lifting her chin and promptly reaching up to cover a yawn. I let it slide and didn’t comment. As fun as it was to perturb her, flirting with her would only lead to feelings I couldn’t entertain.

I shrugged and moved to help Evan and Willem clear some stones and sticks to make room for our bedrolls. Lieke still hadn’t dismounted when I snatched her pack off her horse. I laid hers beside mine, and when I caught the hitch in her breath, my muscles tensed.

“I knew you weren’t ready to sleep alone,” she quipped.

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched her step down onto the grass and lead her horse over to where Rosie stood grazing contentedly. “Oh, this isn’t for my benefit, Sapphire. I can’t have my woman falling ill from sleeping in the cold and damp now, can I?”

Her head jerked up, and I could almost see her mind churning. Understanding dawned on her face, and her lips lifted into a coy smile. “So will I be getting a fur blanket…or a fae one?”

Stars, this woman.

Her sultry tone sent a wave of heat through me, which settled uncomfortably low. I swung my head back around. If I couldn’t get my body to fucking behave, she’d have to sleep beside one of the guards instead. That sparked a different type of heat—and I pulled my hands into fists at the thought of another male lying beside her.

Fuck.What is happening to me? She’s not really mine. I have no claim to her.

I growled as I shook my head, trying to force the unwanted emotions away, but this earned me a giggle from Lieke, who must have thought I was reacting to her question.

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” she said from closer than I’d expected.

I didn’t turn to face her. “All you can see is my back.”

“But it’s cute when it tenses like that.” The smile evident in her tone only irritated me more.

Forcing myself to ignore the growing tension between us, I fished around in my bag for some of the provisions we’d packed in case we found ourselves camping beside the road like this. I pushed to my feet, then spun around and thrust an apple, a chunk of hard bread, and some dried meat at her.

“It’s not much, but it will get us by until morning.”

She took the food without complaint. “And what will we have then?”

“More of the same,” I said, surprised when she didn’t balk at it but offered a quiet thanks.

Later, having eaten our meager meal in an uneasy silence, we settled onto our makeshift beds. I stared up at the trees that loomed overheard, pretending not to notice her watching me as she lay on her side.

“Sure you don’t want to shift, Wolfie?” she whispered, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Turning onto my side to face her, I propped my head up on my elbow and lowered my lips down to her ear. “What would the guards think?”

Kissing her cheek, I retreated, thankful for the gleam of understanding in her eyes.

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