Page 68 of X'nath

I took a step back, swallowing hard. "A lost puppy?" I said, frowning. "I don’t even know what a puppy is, but will it make you happy if I agree? Do puppies make you happy?"

"Ugh!" she snapped, poking her finger directly into my chest. "You think you can just waltz back in here after disappearing forwho knows how longand then expect everything to be fine? You think I don’t have my own concerns, my own frustrations with you? You—you think you can fix it all by groveling?"

Her words struck me like a blow, and I winced. "If it makes you speak to m?—"

"Stop. Just stop," she interrupted, her voice rising. " And for heaven's sake, put that blade away. I don’t need you groveling at my feet, apologizing for every little thing. You think that’s going to solve everything? That’s not what I need from you, X’nath. It’s not just your absence that bothers me. It’s yourlackof understanding about what’sbeenbothering me."

I bit back the urge to defend myself, letting the sting of her words sink in. My pride was wounded, but for my mate and only my mate, I held my tongue. She had every right to be angry if what Korrin said was true. How could I have been so blind to her pain?

When she finished her tirade, she stood there, breathing heavily, her finger still pointed at me in accusation. I knelt silently for a long moment, then nodded slowly, getting to myfeet. I let the weight of her words hang in the air, trying to show her that I was listening intently to the things she wasn’t saying.

"I understand," I finally said, my voice quieter now. "I was wrong,lak’osh. And I’m sorry. I’ll do better."

She let out a long, exasperated sigh, crossing her arms with her basket still in hand. "You better. Because frankly, I’m done trying to avoid your annoyingly handsome face following me around with your pet weasel who has done nothing but melt my resolve with his little squeaks and flowers.”

It seemed Yargol’s strategy worked faster than mine. I was going to have to give him extra meat tonight as a token of my reluctant gratitude. But if he thought he could work his way to her heart and replace me…

My mate’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “It’s not my job to teach you how to simply talk to a person and tell them where you are going."

I winced again but stayed silent, making sure she was completely finished with her verbal lashing. After a beat of tense silence, I finally found the courage to speak again, my voice more measured.

"I have an idea," I said, hoping she’d at least hear me out.

She looked at me skeptically, her eyes narrowing. What was it about her, in every mood, that drew me in so completely? "I’m listening, but don’t get any ideas."

"I’m going on patrol soon," I began, taking a step forward, uncomfortable with the distance between us. "And I want you to come with me. I want you to be there,with me. You’ll know exactly where I am, what I’m doing, and you won’t have to worry about me disappearing again."

Gracie raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You think that’s going to fix everything? You really believe that just taking me on patrol is going to make me forget all the other problems you’ve caused?"

Panic spiked. Other problems? What other problems wasn’t I aware of? I told myself to remain focused. I needed to win this victory, for her, for us.

I nodded eagerly, despite my pride still stinging from her earlier words. "Yes! Well, maybe noteverything, but at least this. You’ll be with me. You’ll see that I’m here, doing what I need to do, and not just running off without a word. Plus, it’ll give us some time, just the two of us. No distractions."

She looked at me, her gaze still full of doubt, and I could practically hear the cogwheels turning in her pretty little head. "You want me topatrolwith you? Me? Out there with you and your...warrior nonsense?" She made an exaggerated gesture, as if to mock the whole idea.

I gave her my best pleading look, lowering my voice to something almost comedic. "Lak’osh,I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve won the greatest prize of all—to be chosen by a warrior goddess with a spirit fiercer than my own. Maybe, while we’re out there, you can teach me a thing or two, and... we’ll see things through together."

Gracie stared at me for a long moment, and I could feel my heart thudding in my chest. This moment was worse than facing my first battle at the tender age of twelve, when I had gone up against the monster terrorizing the village and stealing our dried meat storage.

Finally, she let out a deep breath and sighed, her arms unfolding as she gave me a reluctant nod.

"Fine," she said, her tone more resigned than pleased. "But this doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook for everything else. And don’t think one patrol is going to fix everything. Got it?"

I grinned, the weight in my chest lifting as I nodded, grabbing her and lifting her up enthusiastically. "You bless me,lak’osh," I exclaimed, nuzzling her neck until she dropped her basket. I would make sure to stock her vegetable stores to makeup for wasting her time. “Perhaps now I can apologize to you in a much different but much needed way?” I asked hopefully.

She rolled her eyes, but there was a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "We’ll see about that."

41

A Night Under the Canopy

GRACIE

The night air was cool, the silence of the forest thick around us. The only sounds were the occasional rustle of leaves, the distant call of some nocturnal creature, and the steady crunch of our footsteps on the forest floor. We were just outside the mountain pass, the boundary that separated the village from the wilds beyond. The trees stood like silent sentinels around us, their shadows stretching across the ground as if to swallow us whole.

After letting him back into my life, I finally pulled X’nath aside and revealed some of my issues and past. He was furious when I spoke of my previous husband, murderous when he heard about him abusing me and selling me… but he was also surprisingly understanding when I spoke briefly about my miscarriage.

Some days, I wondered if he was too good to be true. If, once I finally let myself believe that I could truly be loved, the universe would swoop in and yank the rug out from under me.

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