Page 67 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
‘Keep your shit together, Starling,’ he muttered to himself, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. He forced down some more of Farissa’s tonic, hoping it would help keep his baser instincts at bay. But it was as though he suddenly had the resolve of a teenager – or lack thereof, his mind spearing towards sex every few seconds. That image of her laid bare on the bar, writhing beneath his touch, was intoxicating. How could he not think of it? How could he not imagine burying himself deep inside her?
‘For fuck’s sake.’ He busied himself with the stew, with turning their clothes on the makeshift line so that they would dry quicker.
He went to the well to refill their canteens. When he returned, Drue was awake, sitting up in the booth, her hair mussed and her face flushed from sleep.
‘Something smells incredible,’ she said by way of greeting.
‘I thought we deserved a decent meal,’ Talemir replied, offering her one of the canteens.
She stared up at him, wide-eyed, as though seeing him for the first time. ‘Thank you.’
Talemir wanted to ask her how she was feeling, and he desperately wanted to pick up right where they’d left off, but he did no such thing. Instead, he returned to his place by the fire and stirred the stew. He would not be the one to overwhelm her. He would give her whatever space and time she needed…
Drue padded towards him, still wrapped in the blanket, still utterly naked beneath. ‘You washed our clothes, too?’
‘Mm-hmm.’
Drue’s eyes were lined with silver and she chewed her lower lip. ‘No one has washed my clothes in a very long time,’ she said quietly.
Talemir waved her off. ‘It’s nothing.’
‘No, it’s not.’
‘I suppose I don’t wash just anyone’s undergarments.’
A slow smile spread across Drue’s face, and she raised a brow. ‘Not even Wilder’s?’
‘Furies, no.’
She moved closer to the fire, the blanket slipping from her shoulder, revealing that delicately inked tattoo once again. Talemir had to stop himself from closing the gap between them and delivering a series of soft kisses along the blooms there. He would take his cues from her.
‘The clothes aren’t quite dry yet,’ he said instead. ‘But I’ve got a spare shirt if you want?’
Drue bit her bottom lip again and nodded.
Talemir retrieved the shirt, handing it to her with a stupidly prideful sense of satisfaction that she’d be wrapped in something of his. Feeling like a foolish youngster again, he turned around to give her privacy, but it didn’t stop the pulse of arousal shooting through him as he heard the blanket drop to the floor.
His shirt was enormous on her, reaching the top of her knees. Drue laughed as she looked down at herself. ‘How do I look?’
‘Perfect,’ Talemir said without thinking, his cheeks heating. She had him under her spell, there was no doubt about that now.
Smiling, Drue set about spreading the blanket across the stone floor and retrieving a handful of cushions from the booth they’d vacated. ‘We should eat in front of the fire.’
‘And dip into Palmer’s wine collection,’ Talemir added, going to the kitchen to find bowls and cutlery.
‘Agreed,’ Drue called out. He heard the clinking of glasses soon after.
When he emerged with their utensils, he found that Drue had set up a picnic-style spread: the last of their flatbread, along with two long-stemmed glasses and a bottle of something that looked incredibly old and expensive. And there she sat, legs bare beneath his shirt, smiling up at him. It was the perfect combination of everything.
He filled their bowls with steaming stew from the pot and handed them to her before hesitating, considering how he might sit down without his undershorts bunching up and exposing —
‘Not that I mind the view, but here.’ Drue passed him a second blanket.
Laughing, he wrapped it around his waist before joining her on the floor. ‘So, you don’t mind the view, eh?’
‘Oh, shut up,’ she replied, handing him a bowl.
Grinning to himself, Talemir tucked into the food. The moans of satisfaction coming from Drue told him she thought it was just as good as he did, not to mention making him grateful for the blanket. Her noises did vulgar things to him.
