Page 77 of Kissing Potions and Elves
He passes me a steaming cup of tea on his way out the door. As soon as he leaves, I turn my gaze back to her. There’s so much I want to say. Moon and stars, I never imagined that simply looking at someone could make me feel so vulnerable.
“Did you sleep well?” I ask, closing the distance to sit beside her.
“It’s not quite as soft as the bed back at the manor.” She grins. “In truth, I think that mattress has ruined me and Errol for all others. He’ll be quite upset when he has to go back to my straw one in our apartment.”
My heart clenches at the mention of her leaving. I want her to stay with me. More than anything. The words rise in my throat, but the fear of rejection holds them back.
What if I’m wrong and she doesn’t feel for me as I do her? What if she wants to leave once the spell is broken?
Every instinct within me wants to confess everything: my love, my fears, my hopes. But I can’t risk pushing her away. Not yet. Not until I’m certain she feels it too.
Vaelar help me, I want so much to kiss her again, but I force myself to finish my tea and toast.
“We should leave,” I murmur, inwardly cursing myself for my cowardice. I should just tell her how I feel. Put everything on thetable and see what she says, but I cannot force the words past my lips. “Rhystan is probably waiting for us.”
A faint smile curls her lips. “Let’s go home.”
My heart leaps in my chest as my resolve deepens. Home. Such a simple word, yet it holds everything I now desire. Her. Us.
“Yes,” I reply. “Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER 38
ISOBEL
Ilean back into Lyrion’s chest as the steady rhythm of Nyxus’s stride lulls me into a sense of comfort. The forest around us is quiet, sunlight streaming through the leaves, casting everything in a golden glow.
We crossed the river about an hour back, and it wasn’t nearly as terrifying this time as it was before.
“We’re nearly home,” Lyrion murmurs.
Rhystan rides beside us on Asher, occasionally tossing teasing remarks our way, but my attention is mostly on Lyrion. On the solid warmth of his arm wrapped around my waist, and his masculine scent of pine and parchment.
“We should stop here,” Rhystan calls, gesturing ahead to a clearing shaded by large, ancient trees. “We can refill our water in that stream up ahead, and stretch a bit.”
“Good idea,” Lyrion agrees.
When Nyxus comes to a halt, Lyrion’s hands linger a moment on my waist before he helps me down. Heat rises in my cheeks ashis gaze holds mine a heartbeat longer than necessary before he finally steps back.
He turns to Rhystan. “I’ll fill the waterskins. Keep an eye on things here?”
“Don’t I always?” Rhystan teases, sliding gracefully from Asher’s back and stretching dramatically. “Take your time, Brother. We’ll survive.”
Lyrion disappears into the trees, waterskins in hand.
I run my fingers through Nyxus’s thick, soft fur, petting his neck as he lies down beside me. When I look up, Lyrion is nowhere in sight, and I’m surprised when I don’t feel the strong pull of the proximity spell tugging at me like it does when he gets so far from my side.
A tingling sensation starts in my fingers, but it’s very mild. I don’t feel any of the other effects I normally experience: the headaches, the slight nausea... not even a hint of dizziness.
Awareness ripples through me. This is what we’ve wanted, isn’t it? Freedom from the forced closeness, from the threat of illness or collapse whenever we’re apart.
Yet now, faced with the stark reality that it’s beginning to wane, I can’t help but worry about what this could mean. If the proximity spell is fading, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the effects of the kissing potion are gone.
And once they are, I wonder if Lyrion will be relieved to no longer be bound to me and if he’ll wish to part ways. To go back to the way things were before when we were practically strangers.
Nyxus bumps his snout against my side, sensing my sudden unease as Rhystan glances over. “You alright?”
“I’m just a bit tired from the ride.”
