Page 21 of Desire

“We are.”

“Is that danger greater than running out of supplies?”

He smiled, grabbed my shoulders, and kissed my cheek.

“Worry doesn’t suit you. You’re prettier when you’re scolding Brandle.”

“I’m sure Brandle would disagree.”

“He wouldn’t. None of us like it when you worry. We want you to be happy.”

“I wish for the same,” I said. “And that will only happen once my sister is free and safe.”

Eadric frowned slightly at what I’d said. Just as he didn’t like me worrying, I didn’t like him as anything other than his happy, playful self. Taking his hand, I smiled at him.

“Come,” I said. “Let us see what they’re cooking.”

He didn’t say anything more as we walked to the cooking fire where Brandle was stirring a smaller pot.

“We don’t have honey, but we do have berries and sugar,” he said without looking up. “You might want to supervise Garron’s attempt at biscuits.”

Instead of moving away from him, I sat beside him.

“Do you think it’s unwise to leave?” I asked.

“Why do you believe these trackers won’t give up like the previous one?”

I looked at the trees. “It takes half a day or more to travel from Drisdall to your glade, depending on the number of beasts between here and there. These men appeared two days after we last saw the previous tracker. That they multiplied and arrived quickly shows urgency and determination, does it not? I feel both as well. Do you believe I will give up?”

“No,” he said.

“Precisely.”

“Then it’s wise to leave for supplies as you suggested. However, I do not trust the trackers not to attempt to take you again, regardless of their state.”

“They may, but their attempt would be significantly weaker due to their injuries. If you do not leave for supplies now, do you believe we have enough supplies to last until I learn how to help you?”

I could see the doubt in his gaze.

“I would prefer you remain as well, but I fear what troubles we may face if we delay,” I said.

A glint of something crept into Brandle’s gaze.

Before I could decipher it, Eadric said, “She’s worried we’ll be in danger when we leave.”

With a grin, Daemon pulled me to my feet. “Ah, Lamb. You do care!” He swirled me around in an energetic dance as the rest laughed.

Embracing his attempt to distract me from what I’d glimpsed in Brandle’s gaze, I asked, “You doubted me? Even after I only threw a book at Brandle instead of all the chairs?”

They all laughed as I’d hoped. I didn’t want any of them to leave believing I was angry. I wasn’t.

When Daemon finished spinning me around, he stopped by the table and pulled me onto his lap.

“If this doesn’t directly help me achieve our mutual goal, I respectfully ask that you stop taking liberties with my person.”

“Ah, Lamb, now I have no idea what to do. If I pushed you away, that would be a hint that this is not a direct help. Or if I keep you, it would be a hint that it is. And hints in any form are not allowed.”

He wrapped his arms around me and set his chin on my shoulder.

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