Page 61 of Lore of the Wilds

His eyes glittered in the low light, and he smiled before downing the last of the whiskey in his glass. “Eh, he’ll survive. He’s faced far worse at the hands of Isla—this is small potatoes.”

“She’s quite the character, isn’t she?” Lore asked.

“That’s an understatement. Everything Isla does, she does it with her entire being, whether it’s attempting to cook—and I do mean attempting—or being your friend. It makes her fiercely loyal. She’s one of the best people you could ever have on your side.”

Lore nodded. She felt like she could tell that, even just from the last few hours she’d spent with Isla. It felt like she’d known the fae for years, and Lore wasn’t used to connecting with someone so quickly. Everyone she’d ever known up until the last few months shehadknown for years. She had never felt such an instantaneous connection with anyone.

Lore met Asher’s gaze as he sprawled on the couch. He seemed utterly at ease in his friend’s home. His brown cheeks were rosy from the whiskey, and she was certain it was the first time she’d ever seen him flushed, even when they’d been out in the cold.

It was utterly endearing.

His eyes dropped to her lips for just a moment. Lore squirmed, pressing her thighs together against the ache building between them.

Could she bite his pouty bottom lip before Isla and Finndryl came back?

Lore might feel comfortable around Isla, but she didn’t feel confident enough to do what she wanted—which was to climb into Asher’s lap and wrap her arms around his neck, pull him to her, and taste the whiskey on his tongue.

His eyes, which had momentarily turned to her, dropped back to her lips, and he smirked. When his dimple appeared, that was it. Who cared if anyone saw them? She wanted him.

And Lore was tired of not getting what she wanted.

Just as Lore leaned forward, someone cleared their throat. Loudly.

Isla might not have had it in her to look embarrassed—in fact, she looked more amused than anything—but Lore did. She felt her face warm and knew her cheeks would be a darker shade of brown than usual and that her freckles would stand out a little less.

“Oh, Finn! You’re here!” Lore exclaimed, her voice awkwardly high. He was glowering at the floor next to Isla, who was wiggling her eyebrows lasciviously. “We, um, just wanted to see if you could read this,” Lore said.

Lore shoved the open book toward Finn, willing to do anything to distract everyone in the room from the very heated look she’d just shared with Asher.

“Finndryl,” Finndryl said, his voice deep, low, and underscored with a warning.

Lore frowned; gaze drawn back to Asher. His eyes were molten lava in the flickering lamplight. His bottom lip looked sosoft. “What’s that, Finn?” she asked.

“My name is Finndryl. Only my friends call me Finn.” He grabbed the book from her outstretched hands.

Lore finally ripped her gaze from Asher. “Oh, right. Sorry, Finndryl.” Now her cheeks burned for a different reason.

He was so rude, even as he started studying the tome.

Lore glanced at Isla as she sat. The light fae rolled her eyes at her twin and took a swig straight from the whiskey bottle. When she saw Lore looking at her, she mouthed, “Sorry. He’s an ass.”

Lore grinned, feeling a little better knowing she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

After a moment, Finndryl sat next to Isla, stretching his long legs out before him, and placed the book carefully on the floor infront of Lore. The four of them now formed a little circle, with the half-empty whiskey bottle and book in the middle.

“Well, Isla woke me up for nothing. I can’t read this, though I recognize some of the characters. They’re related to Old Alytherian, but my guess is they predate it. Some of the words are quite similar to what I was taught at school, but I’d only be hazarding a guess if I tried to translate it. I don’t know what your book is trying to tell you.”

“Really?” Isla asked, surprise dragging out the word.

“Yes. Really.”

Damn.Disappointment coated Lore’s tongue. “All right. Thank you anyway.”

“What is that in your hand?” Finn asked suddenly, his voice sharp.

For a moment, Lore wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but then she felt the smooth stone between her thumb and finger. She’d forgotten she was holding it. “Oh, this? It was a gift from an old friend. I guess it’s become kind of a comfort to me. I always have it on me.”

“I think that’s an Adder Stone. They’re extremely rare now, and very valuable.”

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