Page 66 of The Witch's Shifter
And as I look into Faolan’s eyes and see the concern brewing there, pride swirls within me. I’m proud to bear his mark.
To be hismate.
A feeling crashes into me then—worry, fear, guilt. It’s so overwhelming, I have to put a hand out to steady myself.
At first, I struggle to understand where it’s coming from. What am I so worried about? And the guilt—
My eyes widen. It might not bemyguilt I’m feeling.
“I...” I whisper. “I think I can feel what you’re feeling.”
His dark brows rise. “You—”
At once, he pauses. His eyes search mine. And then he smiles.
“You feel...” He shakes his head, a chuckle rising up to grace my ears. “Happy.”
“Happy?” I arch a brow. “I think my emotion is abitstronger than that.”
“All right, how about...” He scoots closer and pulls me into his lap, cradling me to his chest with his strong arms. “Overjoyed. Rapturous.”
I laugh lightly. “That’s more like it.” My fingers press against his firm chest. The smile slips from my mouth. “If I’m so happy, why do you feel scared?”
Faolan sighs. Gently, his fingers trail through my hair. “I hurt you. That’s the last thing I want. I was afraid you were upset, had perhaps decided you already regret this decision.”
Sitting up in his arms, I place my hands on either side of his face and look him in the eye. “Of course not. It hurt, but...” Suddenly warm again, I bite my bottom lip. “But it felt good too.Reallygood. I liked it.”
Faolan’s lips quirk up on one side. “Youlikedme hurting you?”
Saying it out loud again would feel a touch embarrassing, so I simply nod, cheeks prickling with warmth.
His resulting smile is fang filled. “Well...” He slowly shifts to lie down, pulling me along with him so he can curl his body around mine as we lie before the fire, my head propped upon his arm. “We could always do it again.”
His breath across my ear makes me shiver, and I press myself back against him, feeling safe and warm with my skin against his. “I’d like that... mate.”
With a rumble of contentment in his chest, Faolan wraps an arm around me, presses a kiss to my bare shoulder, and holds me before the fire until I drift off to sleep, surrounded by the smell of woodsmoke and fresh autumn rain.
Chapter 33
Rowan
THE RAIN HIT SOON AFTER Faolan and Aurora vanished into the forest. We all sought shelter from the storm in the Golden Lantern, and I’ve been pacing the windows in the sitting room ever since. Alden is dozing off in an oversize armchair near the big roaring fire, the ale finally having caught up to him. I’m not sure where Evelyn went, but Selene and Wyland are here with us, sipping tea at a table beside a window.
Outside, it’s so dark that all I can see is my own reflection in the glass. My green eyes stare back at me, mouth set in a grim line.
I want to be livid, to crash through the forest after Faolan and then demand to know what he was thinking, carrying Aurora off into the night like that. And with her on his back, of all things. What if she slips and falls? What if she hurts herself?
My stomach pinches as the fears I’ve carried for so long come back to me, tenfold now that I’m soon to become a father. Despite Niamh’s placating words at the festival, I find myself spiraling again, caught in a whirlpool of worries.
It’s my job to protect her, to protect my child. What if I can’t do it? What if I fail and—
“Rowan?” Selene calls softly.
I turn from the rain-streaked window and try to wipe the frown from my face, but I’m not so sure it works, because Selene’s forehead furrows as she studies me.
“You’re worried about her,” she says.
I nod once.
