Page 70 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
Drue
Golden rays of dawn light filtered through the gaps in the boarded-up windows, spilling across Talemir’s sun-kissed skin beneath Drue’s fingers. She blinked slowly, finding herself curled up against the Warsword’s chest that rose and fell steadily with each slumbering breath. Her bare legs were draped over his and she was still naked but for his now crumpled shirt that remained open at the front.
She didn’t move, not wanting to break the spell just yet. Instead, she surveyed the man beside her, noting the long, black lashes kissing the tops of his high cheekbones, the subtle parting of his soft lips as he slept, and further south, the dark hair trailing down his navel and below the blanket draped across his lower half. Her toes curled at the memory of what lay beneath… She hardly recognised the sultry vixen she’d become the night before. Talemir had coaxed out that part of her, had her claiming her wants and desires with utter abandon. And she had liked it. A lot.
But as much as Drue longed to spend the day locked away in the abandoned tavern exploring every inch of Talemir Starling, there was work to be done. Reluctantly, she withdrew from the warrior, pulling his shirt around her as she tip-toed to where he’d hung their clean clothes to dry the night before.
Her chest seized at the thought of him letting her sleep and using the time to scrub her garments. She pulled them on with a quiet sigh of gratitude, relishing the feel of the fresh fabric on her skin rather than the perpetually damp clothes of life on the road.
As quietly as she could, she made porridge and tea for them, the earthy aroma wafting around the tavern and at last causing Talemir to stir. He sat up, blearily rubbing his eyes and reaching beside him – for her, she realised.
‘Morning,’ she said from her place by the hearth, where she’d cooked over the hot embers.
Clutching the blanket slung low around his waist, Talemir stood, running his other hand through his hair. Drue did her best not to stare, for he was just as impressive in the morning light as he had ever been.
‘There’s porridge,’ she said unnecessarily. ‘And tea. I thought we should eat our fill before —’
His mouth tugging into a smirk, Talemir’s gaze shot back to her, and he wiggled his brows suggestively.
‘Don’t even say it,’ she quipped.
‘I didn’t say a word,’ he replied, accepting the mug from her, his powerful muscles shifting as he did.
Finishing up her breakfast and downing the rest of her tea, Drue went to ready the horses, leaving Talemir to dress in private. She wasn’t sure she trusted herself not to jump on him if he dropped that blanket in front of her.
Everything that had passed between them yesterday… It had set her alight from within. The things he’d done to her, the things he’d made her feel… No lover had ever offered her pleasure like that before. No lover had ever stirred that thing inside her that made her want to give it back. But Talemir… Talemir was different.
Drue retrieved the horses from a clearing by the stream and tried to push those thoughts from her mind. With the raiders’ map in hand, she waited for Talemir outside the tavern, glancing up at the sign that swung in the morning breeze.
The Dancing Badger… She wondered what its sister venues were like and who had founded such a network. It had been a long time since Drue had seen any formal establishment in full swing. She hoped that elsewhere in the midrealms, where things were less bleak, such places were teeming with fiddlers and dancers, with life and laughter, and that perhaps one day, she might see them for herself.
‘Ready?’ Talemir asked from the door.
Drue nodded, fitting her boot to the stirrup and mounting her mare.
‘Just to be clear,’ she said as Talemir swung himself up into his own saddle. ‘We are not attacking today, no matter what we see… Today we scout, and glean as much information as possible to present to our forces when they arrive. Understood?’
Talemir smiled, taking a swig from the flask she knew to be hismonster tonic. That web of white lines appeared on his neck, remaining a beat longer than she remembered before fading again.
‘Out of the two of us, you’re the hothead, Wildfire. I should be asking you that question.’
‘Understood?’ she pressed anyway.
‘Understood.’
‘Good. Then let’s learn what we can about these bastards.’
Together, ranger and Warsword rode out of the abandoned miners’ village, following the raiders’ map further south.
They travelledfor half a day before they saw any sign of the bandits. Boot prints in the dirt, discarded ration sacks, the cold remains of campfires.
‘They don’t have horses,’ Drue observed as they came upon a forest.
‘That’s an advantage to us, then.’
Drue nodded her agreement. ‘If the map’s correct, then their stronghold should be just beyond these woodlands.’
‘It hasn’t led us astray yet. Shall we?’
