Page 76 of The Red Woman and the White Bear

“You are here now.” Kael slid his hand to her neck, then lower, so that callused thumb was tracing her collarbone. “And you are so beautiful.”

Each word that left his lips ticked down her spine, sending sparks through each vertebra one by one. She leaned into his caress, placing her own hand over his to hold it there against her chest.

“You’re not afraid of me?” she asked, though she almost didn’t want to know the answer.

He smiled ruefully. “There is only one monster between the two of us.”

“Stop that,” Aisling scolded, tightening her grip on his hand. “You’re not. I wouldn’t be standing here if you were.”

Kael bent down and kissed her once, softly, then again. “What I feel for you is the kindest thing about me. The only kind thing.”

Undone by the earnestness of his admission, Aisling rose up onto her toes to capture Kael’s lips, far less gentle than he had been. She was feverish in her desire for him, but she found an edge of resistance beneath it all. She could feel it in the way hecontrolled his movements, in the way he seemed to pull himself back just before giving in fully. She could feel that same resistance in herself, too, though she was reluctant to acknowledge it.

She braced her hands against his hips and made to push back, but his arms around her waist held her in place. Both were breathing hard. Kael tucked his chin and pressed his forehead against hers. They held each other that way for some time, content to wordlessly be in each other’s space. For now, it was enough.

For a week, Kael and Aisling spent their nights in the library. Briar remained by Aisling’s side, growing steadily more tolerant of Kael. Rodney joined intermittently, sitting for as long as his attention span would allow before setting off in pursuit of his own agenda. They read through page after page in the tall stack of manuscripts Kael thought might contain something useful until the words swam on the parchment.

But it was their days that Aisling looked forward to the most. Each morning, she’d tiptoe through her and Rodney’s adjoining chambers. Briar was easily bribed to keep quiet and Rodney, the heaviest sleeper she’d ever known, made for a poor sentinel. Only twice did he wake as she opened the door, both times grumbling something unintelligible and annoyed before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Kael began leaving his door slightly ajar, an unspoken signal that he was inside waiting for her. They spent hours together learning,exploring the limits of their trust, of their connection to each other. She was addicted to the taste of him, to his pine scent filling her nose, to the brush of his fingers over her bare skin.

So when he finally asked her to stay instead of returning to her own bed to sleep, Aisling didn’t have to think about her answer; it was already waiting on her lips.

He had held her close, arms tight around her even as he slept, as though afraid that if he loosened his grip even a fraction she would disappear altogether. She didn’t mind, though. Now, she thought, she was the Red Woman and she was his.

“That can’t be it,” Rodney said apprehensively. Despite the growing sense of despondency that threatened to crush Aisling, the most steadfastly hopeful among them, they had carried on as the pile dwindled to five books, then to three. But when Kael closed the cover on the last and largest tome, still without having found an answer, all three sat in resigned defeat around the library table.

“I’m sorry,” Aisling finally said. “I really thought it would work.”

Kael leaned over and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “We will keep looking.”

All week, he’d been careful not to show too much affection when they weren’t alone. Aisling had avoided it, too. She was surprised by his action, however brief and small, and was unable to hide her smile despite the glare Rodney shot at them.

“Where else would we look?” she asked, glancing around at the library shelves.

“Books are not the only source of knowledge in Wyldraíocht,” Kael said.

At this, Rodney perked up slightly. “You think she would know?”

“She may.” Kael leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Aisling frowned, confused, and looked between the two males. “She?”

Before either could answer, Werryn stormed in from the corridor. His gaunt face was flushed with rage and a dagger was clutched in his shaking hand. Too weak to brandish it effectively, he held it low in front of his waist. Aisling drew back when he came to a stop nearly within striking distance.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kael demanded, rising from his chair and stepping closer to Aisling.

“You are a fool, Kael, to bring thisserpentinto our court. You’ve damned us all.” His eyes were narrowed and angry and fixed on Aisling.

“Mycourt,” Kael corrected him coolly.

Werryn ignored him. “You have allowed the Red Woman to bed you with no consideration of the destruction she will wreak on everything we have built.”

Across the table, Rodney paled. From where she sat, Aisling could see the muscles in Kael’s back tense in response to the High Prelate’s accusation. Still, his countenance remained aloof. “Have you only just now realized who she is? It’s taken you long enough to see what has been right in front of your face.”

“It is your arrogance that will be this court’s destruction, Red Woman or no.” Werryn hissed the words sharply. Spit collected inthe corners of his mouth and his robes seemed to vibrate as he shook with rage.

“You are dismissed, Prelate.” Kael took another step so that he now stood between Aisling and Werryn. His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides, and from them thin tendrils of shadow were beginning to leach through his skin. Aisling stood quickly and worked one of his fists open to slide her own hand in, lacing her fingers between his and squeezing. She felt the thready shadow writhe once between their palms before it dissipated.

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