Page 45 of Desire

“I don’t like that the trackers are lingering,” I said.

“It would be nicer if they left so we could work,” Daemon said. “Edmund gets irritable when he’s idle for too long.”

“What work aren’t you doing?” I asked, twisting back to look at him.

He kissed the tip of my nose.

“We mine, Lamb.”

“Mine what?”

“Fewer questions and more eating, Sparrow,” Eadric said. Facing forward, I took the bite of stew and dumplings he offered as Daemon cuddled me in his lap.

Between bites, I answered their questions about what I was learning, even though I knew Garron told them everything each night. Like their brother, they seemed unbothered by the dead tree and glad for the control I now had.

The only one who seemed to share my impatience with the situation was Edmund. Though for different reasons.

He flipped Darian onto his back and stalked over to the table, his bare torso covered in sweat.

“What are they doing now?” he demanded.

“Speak nicely,” Brandle warned.

“They are gathered around their fire. The wounded one is almost recovered enough to move without pain. They’ll be ready to attack again soon. Perhaps the day after tomorrow.”

“We need to strike first, Brandle,” Edmund said.

“It’s safer for them to come to us,” Brandle said.

“For us, but not for Kellen.”

“I’ll be safe, Edmund. At the first sign, I’ll run to the cave again and climb.”

A resounding “no” came from each of them.

“My heart can’t take watching you descend again,” Darian said, joining us.

“You trusted my warning that they would attack with the mist. You’re trusting I’m correct that they will wait another day or two. Why can’t you trust that I will be safe climbing when I say I will?”

“Be reasonable, Princess,” Darian said.

I snorted. “I’m the only one present whoisbeing reasonable.”

“Be reasonable about our fears over losing you when it’s taken so long to find you,” Brandle said.

His request was…understandable, but I chose not to acknowledge it.

“Why do you think it’s safe to wait for them to come to you?” I asked Brandle.

“The beasts,” he said simply. “We’re more protected in the glade.”

“As are they,” Edmund said.

“What benefit is there to fighting them out there?” I asked him, truly curious. “Here, there is open space to fight and no beasts to distract you or ways to separate you from one another. They face more danger in the glade because of all of you.”

“Exactly,” Brandle said. “It makes sense to wait for them to come to us.”

“Fine,” Edmund growled. “You’re next.”

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